14 new micro-projects approved for the Capital of Culture

Chemnitz residents submitted a total of 43 ideas in the third round of calls for micro-projects for the application process for the title of European Capital of Culture 2025.

Funding totalling a maximum of 2,500 euros has now been approved for 14 projects. A total of just under 27,000 euros will go to the applicants.

The jury appointed by the Programme Council particularly praised the diversity of ideas and the broad commitment of urban society. There is still a lot of potential in ideas that are not favoured, which is why advice is being offered again this time to either combine projects or further develop good approaches.

In future, creative ideas from the city's population will continue to be subsidised with up to 2500 euros. The next application deadline for micro-projects is 31 March 2019.

The following can look forward to funding this time:

1. 2025C

Chemnitz radio amateurs make many national and international radio connections every day - and each radio contact is followed by a designed confirmation card, comparable to a postcard. In this way, Chemnitz and the application to become the Capital of Culture 2025 will be broadcast all over the world in future - especially as the Chemnitz radio amateurs are also applying for a special amateur radio call sign from the Federal Network Agency: DM2025C (in radio language: DM is Germany and C is the abbreviation for Chemnitz, with the number 2025 in between).

2. the club of living stories

Mehr Miteinander in Sachen e.V. is planning a Living Library. On selected Saturdays throughout the year, "living books" can be borrowed from the city library alongside normal media. These living books are real people who have to deal with stereotypes, marginalisation and prejudice from society because they are, for example, foreigners, homosexual, disabled, alcoholics, junkies, of aof the Jewish faith, refugee, homeless, unemployed, HIV-positive, autistic, rape victim, perpetrator of violence, victim of violence, severely overweight, blind or anorexic. were. Depending on their interests, visitors can choose one of the topics and talk to a person from the respective group in private for a maximum of 30 minutes free of charge - about anything that interests them. For example, how does a foreigner experience marginalisation in Germany? What does it actually mean to believe in a different God? How was your coming out? What makes our storytellers happy? What are they afraid of? Exclusion is mainly caused by ignorance! - And this project fights against prejudice.

3. living fan culture - flag painting day

The AWO Fan Project's flag painting day is open to all interested club fans, but especially to children and young people who are enthusiastic about football and sport. The aim is to create double banners and waving flags with favourite motifs relating to the cityscape and football/Chemnitz FC, guided and supported by creative minds from the fan scene. Presenting the finished flags and double banners at the following Chemnitzer FC home games will strengthen the children and young people's motivation, bond with the city and pride. It is hoped that they will continue to work creatively and engage with the topic of fan culture afterwards.

4th platform: Economy makes culture

The event series "Chemnitzer Monitoring - Sichten einer Stadt" is a successful platform for entrepreneurs from the south-west Saxon region and provides the framework for the establishment of the "Wirtschaft macht Kultur" network. This is intended to give entrepreneurs and employees with a migration background the opportunity to jointly report on their "Chemnitz (life) culture" and describe challenges in short presentations - reporting on social media and their own platform is ultimately intended to promote dialogue beyond the event.

5th Beauty on Tour in Chemnitz

This project took place as part of the "Uprising of Stories" festival. A temporary beauty salon was created on the Sonnenberg as a space for socialising, intimacy and transformation. Beauty parlours are a place to discuss what moves young and old, and to create new images of ourselves and the world as we want it to be. In this respect, protected spaces are created in which people's true openness to the world and curiosity can be revealed. The migration movements that have been causing heated discussions in Europe for a few years now can be carefully re-examined locally with this approach and different voices can be given a stage. The project's experts work professionally and welcome guests for make-up, head massages or henna painting as self-determined hosts. In the cosmopolitan Atelier für Schönes, people from different backgrounds have the space to talk about whatever is on their minds. The aim is to recognise the people behind common prejudices.

6 The mobile bicycle cinema for Chemnitz

With the mobile bicycle cinema, the project team invites people to rediscover old spaces in Chemnitz and give them a new cultural meaning. In short, it works like this: once the mobile bicycle cinema has been set up, various potential spaces and areas for film screenings will be researched as part of the project and used for the first time in summer 2019, with cinema-goers generating the electricity required for the screening themselves by "riding" on several stationary bicycles.

7. cultural events at the Knappteich (Bürgergarten) and on the Sonnenberg (Gemeinschaftsbüro Zietenstr.): "creepy" and "world cuisine with readings"

The Association for the Promotion of Solidarity, Democracy and Education (SDB e.V.) organises two scary evenings for young people and three cooking evenings with readings during the "dark" season in order to encourage residents to share ideas and projects and to promote social interaction.

8th Days of Awakening - Pounding: Film report on the Schlema bismuth area

The "Pochen" project has just come to a successful end, but the reappraisal of the history of bismuth is far from complete. The senior citizens' film club produced a 20-minute documentary on uranium mining in the region around Bad Schlema. Desolate slag heap landscapes, interviews with contemporary witnesses and renaturalisation work: The film shows the far-reaching effects of Wismut.

9th open printing workshop

The open printing workshop gives interested parties an insight into the art of printmaking. Over a two-week period, five artists will be demonstrating a wide range of historical and artisanal printing techniques. The Sonnenberg and city life in Chemnitz form the focus of the depictions. The programme is aimed at Chemnitz schools, youth and cultural associations and anyone who is curious.

10th Culture-City-Europe

In the series of events, which comprises at least three evenings, citizens and experts think through the ways in which people meet and interact in the city. Chemnitz residents analyse existing concepts of civic participation, discuss the pros and cons and brainstorm about new possibilities.

11. culinary and international

Everyone has to eat. But with whom - that makes all the difference. Cooking and eating together encourages informal dialogue, promotes lively conversations and integrates people who, for example, have a different background or feel lonely. Over the course of several evenings, people who would not otherwise meet are brought together around a table, giving them the chance to put prejudices and fears aside.

12th Glamnitz

Glamour is something that few people would associate with the city at first glance. The event series develops utopias of what Chemnitz still is and what it could look like in the future. On three evenings, "Glamnitz_Rock'n'Roll", "Glamnitz_Drugs" and "Glamnitz_Sex", citizens, actors and actresses will embark on a theatrical walk through the city.

13 At the river

The RAUM AM FLUSS initiative brings together citizens, planners and decision-makers to jointly shape the space along the Chemnitz river. The PANTA RHEI - alles im Fluss? project, which was supported as a micro-project in the last period, will give rise to further discussion rounds that invite people to walk and experience the space around the Chemnitz.

14 "Five minutes" - live music & improvised dance

A musician, two dancers, a camera and Chemnitz: the project aims to improve the everyday lives of the citizens using only the art of improvisation. The aim is for the citizens of the city to perceive the place where they live from a different perspective and learn to appreciate it. Improvised and spontaneous performances take place throughout the city.