"Blue Peace Herd" in the Stadthallenpark
Campaign tours Europe and provides food for thought - on 17 October from 11:00 to 18:00 also in Chemnitz, Stadthallenvorplatz
As part of a multi-year European action art project, a large herd of blue sheep is travelling through German and European cities and aims to provide food for thought with regard to peaceful coexistence, tolerance and a sense of unity. "The Blue Flock of Peace" is an action art project by the artist couple Bertamaria Reetz and Rainer Bonk from Cologne and Rheinberg. Since 2012, the project has been under the patronage of the EU Parliament in Strasbourg and Brussels.
Next Friday, 17 October, the sheep will also graze on a "pasture" in Chemnitz - on the square in front of the town hall. Representatives of the media are cordially invited to the opening of the action art project at 11.00 a.m. on the square in front of the town hall. The Mayor for Law, Safety and Environmental Protection, Miko Runkel, will be present as a representative of the city.
Background information:
As part of the Europe-wide exhibition tour, a large herd of blue sheep will be stopping off as a short-term art event in cities that are willing to sponsor the project. There they will create the illusion of a lively, peacefully grazing flock of sheep with all their pleasant associations. The unmistakable bright blue captivates the viewer's gaze and only on closer inspection does he realise that the members of the flock are always one and the same figure, only in different positions. This process of realisation, symbolically formulated, becomes the central message of the flock of blue sheep. Everyone is equal - everyone is important
With this message and their very special charm, the blue sheep want to provide food for thought and promote peaceful and tolerant coexistence based on the appreciation of others.
Each participating city symbolically becomes a member of a constantly growing "Blue Peace Herd". This is an association of cities that affirms and supports the message of the Blue Sheep. As a recognisable symbol, one of the Blue Sheep remains in the town hall of the respective town. It is presented to the mayor and bears a brass plaque with the inscription "Member of the Blue Flock of Peace" and the name of the respective city in the right ear. The more extensive and international the community of participating towns becomes, the more intense the message it sends out. The association of cities has already reached a membership of over 100 cities. The goal is a large-scale installation of 250 symbolic blue sheep on St Mark's Square in Venice.
As a signal colour, blue stands for unity. Many international institutions use this colour. For example, it is the colour of the EU, the UN, NATO, UNESCO, UNICEF and the European peace movement. In this project, it symbolises the association of cities and also indicates that beyond all dividing categories, such as cultural, ethnic, religious, gender or even social, all people are nevertheless equal, in the sense of equal value, and connected with each other.
Contact person:
Bonk-Reetz artists' association
Lohmühler Weg 6
DE-47495 Rheinberg
Phone: 0 28 44 - 90 02 90
Fax 0 28 44 - 90 39 35
kontakt@blauschaeferei.de