Altenburg am Meer (Altenburg by the sea) is a workshop festival that creatively engages with the topics of the sea, migration, climate change and social cohesion.
A first project phase, the open harbor on the market square with cultural programming, took place in fall 2020. Over a period of six weeks in 2021, a vast group of artists, neighbors, kids, civil society actors and public institutions transformed an old motor sailboat into a cultural platform. We learned various craft techniques in a temporary participatory shipyard, created the podcast “In Sinnfluten”, the puppet show “Vom Grunde des Meeres“ (From the Bottom of the Sea) between old and young Altenburg residents, and celebrated a large, colorful sea parade. Afterwards, the Altenburg cultural boat Mary Jane went on a journey over the Elbe and Havel rivers and is still touring the rivers with the puppet play and lots of encounters.
The core of this sociocultural project is to invite people form very different backgrounds to learn together and “dream"“ the city. Especially in Altenburg, where depopulation, aging demographics and empty buildings, but also a lot of new migration, strong solidarity networks and old cultural heritage make up the city.
The culture boat Mary Jane will continue to sail the waterways of Central Europe in the coming years with changing crews. Mary Jane is one of the cornerstones of “Flotilla”, an association of socially engaged and artistically active boats in Europe. This also includes the barkasse* in Hamburg.
In 2022-23, Mary Jane is a funding partner in the “Engagierte Land” network in the historical boating city Aken/Elbe, creating dynamic platforms and events for local civil society engagement along the river. The activities of “Wir am Wasser” in Aken are in exchange with our partners from Mali and Morocco in Contes Imbriqués.
Want to connect to the sea? The collective project lives on ideas, visions and contributions. Come on board!
I did the Artistic Direction of the project. The long list of artists, team members, volunteers and contributors can be found below.
www.instagram.com/altenburgammeer
Listen to our Podcast “In Sinnfluten“ – it’s worth it!
The whole big community of Altenburg am Meer was awarded the third national award for Innovation in Socioculture!
A project of the Other Music Academy [OMA]
Photos © THISISMYWORK.ONLINE , OMA And Private
Artistic direction and production
Valentin Schmehl
Agnes Kern
Constance Boehme
Julia Pohl
Alida Lorenz
Katharina Bausewein
Jinx Kreibom
Wolfram Rochner
Parade workshop - faculty
Yoav Admoni
Evan Loxton
Günter Lemke
Shipyard - faculty
Fabien Bidaut
Niels Förstermann
Dominik Valles Valls
David Sonnenschein
Teresa Erbach
Emanuel Ott
Jana Beckmann
Janna Nikoleit
Katharina Gruber
Johann Hermann
Miriam Hantzko
Jens Lenk
Dirk Weigelt
Steven Böhm
Sven Köhler
Klaus Winkler
Jens Künne
Puppet theater workshop - faculty
Olav Amende
Gerda Knoche
Britta Tränkler
Simon Geuchen
Anna Fricke
Julia Pohl
Mario Radosin
Rummelsnuff
BORDFUNKE media workshops - faculty
Ilana Reynolds
Rosanna Terberg
Jessica Peschke
Silvio Schmidt
Alex Hennig
Helena Wölfl
M Kruppe
Dirk Hurnschuch
Galley – collective kitchen - faculty
Moawya Alkhadra
Abdullah Khalil
Jan-Ole Sierck
Marie Laure Ebel
Marko Heinke
Constance Böhme
Documentation & PR
Jakob Jurkošek
Eyal Davidovitch
Maike Steuer
Maria Köhler
Marcel Brock
Boat trips Havel / Elbe
Gerit Mennen
Rosanna Terberg
Helga Lázár
Valentin Schmehl
Liliana Ferri
Alida Lorenz
Qian Sun
Emanuel Ott
…and all participants, students, neighbors, helpers and dedicated friends!
Funded by
> Aktion Mensch
> Socioculture Fund
> Thuringian State Chancellery
> Rotary Club Altenburg
> Heinrich Böll Foundation Thuringia
> Rosa Luxemburg Foundation Thuringia
> EWA Altenburg
> Grünauer Summer of Culture
In cooperation with
- City of Altenburg
- Mayor André Neumann
- Förderschule "Erich Kästner
- Futura e.V.
⁃ Rote Zora e.V.
⁃ Lukas Foundation Altenburg
- Color Kitchen
- Stadtmensch Network
- Tanzraum Altenburg - Anja Losse
⁃ FACK Altenburg
⁃ Wolang e.V.
⁃ Kulturspäti
- Como Vento
⁃ Horizonte Altenburg
⁃ Diakonie Altenburg
⁃ Theater Altenburg Gera
⁃ City Library Altenburg
⁃ Natural History Museum Mauritianum
⁃ Colors of Soul Choir
⁃ Altenburg TV
- Altenburg Castle and Culture Department
- Brüderkirche
⁃ Lindenau Museum
- DanceFitnessClub Angelika Lange
- Seebrücke Deutschland
- Seebrücke Leipzig
- Mission Lifeline
⁃ Bonnhoefer Schule
⁃ Regelschule Meuselwitz
⁃ Spalt Ton Gymnasium
⁃ KiTa Bärenstark
⁃ IDA - Initiative Diverses Altenburg
⁃ Kunstgarten Altenburg
⁃ Eismarie Altenburg
⁃ ABLI Geflüchtetenselbstverwaltung
⁃ Radio Lotte Weimar
⁃ Wasserstadt Leipzig e.V.
⁃ Mitteldeutsche Tage der Industriekultur
⁃ Lesezeichen e.V. Leipzig
⁃ Vitopia Magdeburg
⁃ Peißnitzhaus Halle
⁃ Freie Bühne Wendland e.V.
⁃ Bahnhof17 Parey/Elbe
⁃ Honigfabrik Hamburg
⁃ Hafenmuseum Hamburg
- Bosch Alumni Network
Thank you! Supported by
- Trommobilien
- Frank Quaas, Bauernverband
- Steven Böhm, Axa Altenburg
- Eisenfrank, Windischleuba
- Druckerei zu Altenburg
⁃ Parkhotel Altenburg
- Leitermann Altenburg
- Expert Jäger
- Feinkost Dünewald
⁃ Juwelierin Martina Kretschmann
- Altenburger Brauerei
- Bäckerei Strobel
⁃ Traditionsschlosserei Gebr. Arnold
⁃ Lumentics
⁃ Jens Bieräugel Gerüstbau
- Fa. Tiefbau Taubert
⁃ Kröber Apotheke
⁃ Theater Erfurt
⁃ AWG
⁃ Cube Store Fahrradwelt Altenburg
⁃ Schmalfuß Mobilfunk
⁃ Edeka Soba
⁃ Fruchtexpress Windischleuba
⁃ Licorne Vegane Brotaufstriche
- Weleda
⁃ Frieweika
- Voelkel Getränke
⁃ DM Weimar
- Yogi Tee
⁃ International Farben
⁃ Gradmann Farben
⁃ Solara
⁃ Jacko Werft Berlin-Philadelphia
⁃ Wieland Reher Yachtservice