Experienced culture makers advise Capital of Culture application
International experts are on hand to advise the Capital of Culture Office
The Strasbourg director and stage designer Philippe Arlaud and the Viennese theatre and performance maker Stephan Rabl were two international culture makers in the city over the past two days. In discussions and walks, the two experts worked together with Chemnitz protagonists - including members of the steering group and the programme council - to analyse topics and ideas that could be relevant to Chemnitz's bid to become European Capital of Culture 2025.
Ferenc Csák, project manager of the Capital of Culture application, explains: "In the process, it is important to establish a European network in order to also get an outside view of our city. Of course, the local protagonists play a decisive role in the application process. The international experience of Philippe Arlaud and Stephan Rabl is a great advantage, especially as both have already realised projects for other Capitals of Culture. The ideas that the two of them have can certainly be used in the further process - especially with regard to the European dimension of the application."
Stephan Rabl was surprised by Chemnitz, which he visited for the first time: "I am thrilled by the potential and the power that is possible here in the city. You don't immediately recognise this from the outside and are then all the more impressed by it." For Philippe Arlaud, Chemnitz's city history is a reflection of European history: "Chemnitz has undergone an incredible metamorphosis over the past 70 years, for example the two different city names, combined with the associated political systems, as well as a changed, but nevertheless always cityscape-defining architecture."