SQ/PRO | Summerschool – C

C – the European Cultural Capital Chemnitz 2025 (C-ECCC2025)

Every year, the European Union nominates EU cities as "European Capital of Culture". The aim of this nomination is to emphasise the diversity and similarities of cultural heritage in Europe and to promote better understanding between European citizens. Formats such as Capitals of Culture, LaGas, BuGas, IBAs, EXPOs, Love Parades and Olympics offer the nominated cities a momentum to set strategic impulses for urban development. In the context of the Capitals of Culture, the image, i.e. the perception of a city from inside and outside, is often addressed - frequently oscillating between self-assurance and spotlight. For the year 2025, the honour of European Capital of Culture falls to Chemnitz, a city that was one of the fastest growing cities in Germany during its rapid development during industrialisation and also afterwards as Karl-Marx-Stadt.

Let's be honest: if you don't know Chemnitz from your own experience, you probably have a lot of preconceptions! For many, Chemnitz is an ageing, East German Saxon city with a gigantic Karl Marx head monument in the city centre and a violent right-wing extremist scene. However, Chemnitz is also rich in architecture, culture and art from past centuries and the present day, Jewish life is growing again in the city and numerous parks invite visitors to enjoy a wide range of activities. So is Chemnitz better than its reputation suggests?

In the online presence of the city's tourist information centre as European Capital of Culture with the motto "C the Unseen", it says: "Anyone who has been here will definitely see the city with different eyes." This also describes an architectural and urban planning design dilemma: how much do you want to know about a place for which you are planning an intervention?

With our summer school, we would like to explore this structural design problem and at the same time accept the city's invitation to explore together how multi-layered Chemnitz really is.

First, we will take a structured look at methods of urban research and analysis in order to understand how one can understand a place without physically being there. In addition, we will analyse the city with regard to the topic of prejudices. We will use specific digital tools to do this. We then want to reflect on the results of our research and find out what impressions remain and translate these into a concept for an intervention as part of the year of the European Capital of Culture. After a working phase in Braunschweig, we will hold a workshop on site in Chemnitz with the designer and urbanist Dr Liene Jakobsone and the architect and urbanist Manten Devriend from Sampling (both Latvian Academy of Fine Arts, sampling.lv) from Riga as well as Sarah Friese, future designer. At the end of the summer school, interventions will be designed that will accompany the World Capital of Culture 2025 initiative in Chemnitz and deal with the core theme of "C the Unseen" and the perception of a city.

Profile

Registration
Summerschool – C – the European Cultural Capital Chemnitz 2025 (C-ECCC2025)

Format
Presence

Dates
23.-29.09.2024
Braunschweig   23.-25.09.
Chemnitz          26.-29.09.

Place
ISU Seminarroom/Chemnitz

Language
German/English

Teachers

Prof. Dr. Vanessa M. Carlow, Lehrauftrag Liene Jakobsone (Sampling.lv), Sarah Friese
ISU-Team