Schwemsal 1 June 2010
Awakening to the aroma of coffee on the boil and fresh rolls out the oven the lads made it quite easily out of their beds in the guest house. Ute and Gottfried, our hosts have been active already for a few hours preparing everything. Robert, Patrick, Bekir, Thomas, Judith, Antonio and Bob were ready to go at 9.30 with Ute to the evangelische Grundschule in Bad Düben. The evangelic school has 120 children aged between 6 and 11 years of age. Our three workshops took on almost 70 of the little ones. They were thoroughly enjoying themselves with paint workshops, Irish dance workshops and a theatre workshop. Bob left them all to their kids and went off with Ute to get the bits and pieces needed for the tour. Getting gas for the van, sending off film and foto material to their friend in Frankfurt, Thomas Tschur, who is cutting all the film material to make a documentation film of the whole Culture Trail. A quick visit to the foto shop to get an extra sb card for the camcorder and then back to the school to take an interview with the music teacher.
We left the workshops and returned back to Schwemsal to get things done there. At 1 pm everyone was together in the venue, the 'Gutsscheune' which is a modernised agricultural warehouse with a lot of floor space, an upstairs exhibition space and a nice stage.
After lunch we were all busy with bits and pieces as people began to arrive. An afternoon dance workshop with some of the local kids followed by a concert with Grzegorz on three zither instuments and then the theatre piece from Teatro Punto. Everyone really enjoyed the atmosphere and the mixing of artists and visitors. When we got back to the accomodation Ute had already prepared an evening snack and we washed it down with some of the Hungarian wine. A few conversations began about the sense of the Culture Trail and it was generally agreed that although a few minor mishaps took place here and there the voyage has been a great success and all the artists, organisers and visitors felt very strongly that this is really a good way to bring Europe together; through its diversity in art and culture, but with care and respect between the people.
Schwemsal 2 June 2010
We were all able to sleep in a bit this morning. The school in Bad Düben wasn't expecting us until 10.30 am and the venue in Schwemsal would not be open to public before 2 pm.
When we got to the school one of the little boys who attended the theater workshops
the day before came running up to Judith and hugged her for a minute or two. He was
obviously so happy that it made us all feel our endeavors were being honoured in
the nicest way. Soon the entrance hall was a bubbling pool of about seventy children
again all burning to do a workshop again. As the children for the art workshop were
ready to go a teacher asked them to go up to the art room and a storm of young energy
bolted up the stairs. The rest of the children were divided into two groups for the
theater and the Irish dance workshops. As the last of the little monkeys disapeared
to their various stations Ute and Bob retired to the directors room where a discussion
began on diverse topics including education, institutional support programs, art
in the school being taught by professional artists in certain programs and, of course,
what the Culture Trail means to a school like theirs. The director spoke of the budget
fights on the educational side of things, but genererally speaking the cooperation
with the funding institutions seems to be all right. But as soon as art comes on
the table matters change and support becomes extremely difficult. On top of it all
the economic crisis gets used as an excuse to cut back majorly here. It is felt by
many people, including the director that the real meaning of art can only be understood
through something like the Culture Trail bringing a variety of art discilplines
offered by a multi-
Not distant like at a normal art exhibition where the artist normaly only appears
for the vernissage. Rather, where a hands on, pragmatical approach is taken by the
participating artists to meet, mix and integrate with the people around them, be
it through workshops with the children and adults, performances where the artists
are present before and after the show for a considerable amount of time, or simply
sitting down and talking to people. Our discussion was a critical one as well looking
at the needs and desires of people, which may not be what the artists have to offer.
But we also agreed that the advertising element in society has become so strong and
people have learned to live in superfluous greed and isolation. The Culture Trail
is a contrast program to the monotony of everyday life and also a contradiction to
the normal days end of good honest working people who get only sarcasm, blasphemy
and useless information thrown at them through the neo-
An interview was then held with the director and then it was back to Schwemsal to eat lunch. The afternoon was spent together and, because the venue has internet all were able to catch up with whats happening at home.
The band set up the stage for the concert and then the evening fell. People started to enter and when it was full the mayoress said a few words to greet eveyone and thanked the artists for bringing the Culture Trail to Schwemsal. When the concert began Bob Bales and his Unbelievable World Music Band trumped one time after the other with a variation of different rhythems from France, Poland, Ireland, Spain, Balkan.... Everyone loved it and two hours flew by. After the concert many people remained to talk and the mayoress was invited by Bekir and Patrick to visit the upstairs exhibition. A final talk, a final glass of wine and then the artists went back to the guest house where the pillows welcomed the happy faces, the content minds and weary bodies, lifting them into the dream world that has become a reality through the generosity of Ute and Gottfried, and all the others from Schwemsal and the region.