A balance sheet – and the outlook on upcoming projects

The summer of two years ago. On our way to becoming the European Capital of Culture in 2025, we wanted to encourage people to bring their own small projects into city life – and set up a support programme for micro-projects. With great success, because many projects still have an impact today.
So far, the support of up to 2500 euros has enabled the creators to create various workshops, designs, symposia, performances, workshops, new event formats, artistic experiments, discussion groups, intercultural encounters, district projects, fan culture, thematic walks – just this small step from “You’ve got to do it…” to “Let’s just do it…”.

A total of almost 200 applications were submitted in the past two years and 43 projects were funded with approximately 73,000 euros. The selection is made by a jury of Chemnitz residents appointed by the programme council of the application.

In the last few weeks alone, several of the Chemnitz2025 micro-projects have provided cultural impulses in the city:
Actors invited with “Glamnitz_Rock’n’Roll”, “Glamnitz_Drugs” and “Glamnitz_Sex” to theatrical discoveries – and to search for traces of glamorous Chemnitz.
Visitors to the “2nd Sonnenberg Drucktage” were able to be there live as the artists sketched, cut, torn, etched and finally nailed prints to the walls.
Meanwhile, in the project “Eating Culture in Chemnitz against the Background of Europe” at the Montessori School, feasible scenarios for an ecological way of life in Chemnitz were designed.
In addition, the first presentation of the mobile bicycle cinema in the old diamond factory went over the screen, and with B.U.M._Kultur in Fahrt Chemnitz experienced its first bicycle concert.

This will be the last funding round in which seven projects were funded with a total of 15,000 euros:

<Colourful play street on the Brühl
A "play street" is to be created between the home sign and the Zöllnerplatz in order to provide a better quality of stay for young and old and at the same time to slow down car traffic there. Planned are playgrounds for "Huppekästl" or "Heaven and Hell", "Viking Chess" or "Don't be annoyed" and a "ladder game".

Motion Composer – music through movement
At a freely accessible location in Chemnitz, a system is to be installed that converts body movement into music. The aim is to create a new form of public interaction and thus space for encounters and social interaction.

abbaz magazine
The free magazine from students for students wants to report independently as print and offline version about city and university life as well as culture, science and politics. The aim is to offer young people in Chemnitz a platform for discussion.

New! Eastern modernity! Strong!
A temporary project space in the Chemnitz bus station, which aims to stimulate a broad public discourse on “Eastern Modernism” and strengthen the theme within the Capital of Culture application.

Architectural portraits>/strong>
An exhibition of the photographer Udo Hesse in the gas station Projektraum will present selected portraits of renowned contemporary architects who have realized architecture in Germany and also in Chemnitz and convey their work.

(The projects “Ess-Kultur in Chemnitz vor dem Hintergrund Europa” and “B.U.M._Kultur in Fahrt” from the last funding round have already taken place).

The application period for the fifth round of microproject funding is currently underway: The closing date for applications is 30th September 2019 and a total of 15,000 euros will once again be available for this funding period.

 

Photo Bicycle cinema: Ernesto Uhlmann