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Newsletter 118 of 12th May 2010

Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA)
Fürst-Pückler-Land

1. Paradise 2 has begun: Lake Symphony, scenic energy-tours and marathon organ recital
2. Paradise 2 tells all: The Mystery of Schlabendorf in five movements
3. Expo Completto: Launch event for exhibition "The Reconquering of a Landscape"
4. Book now: Two-day IBA tour for professionals to provide overview of the work of the IBA
5. Partnership deal sealed: "Site office" to oversee redevelopment of Gubin parish church
6. Utopia reviewed: Exhibition and “walk ‘n’ talk” about Pritzen
7. Between mill and mine: Change in the cultivated landscape of Fürstlich Drehna
8. Spotlight on the “Green Princess”: Exhibition about Lucie von Pückler


(1) Paradise 2 has begun:

Lake Symphony, scenic energy-themed tours and a marathon organ recital

Paradise 2 beginning now! This was the title of the opening event of the IBA’s presentation year three weeks ago in the Lusatian Lakeland, framed by Jürg Montalta’s “Paradise 2” art project and attended by Minister-President Matthias Platzeck. It attracted more than 3,000 visitors to the IBA Terraces in glorious sunshine, including 400 cyclists who took part in the “Brandenburg radelt an” cycle rally. After the opening of the final IBA exhibition, “The Reconquering of a Landscape”, a 320-strong choir walked into the former pit with the visitors, singing as they went. Together they filled the bizarre open-cast mining landscape with an awe-inspiring sea of voices and opened the Lake Symphony.
Just one week later it was the premiere of the second Paradise 2 production "What is Energy?". Italian-born artist Tommaso Lana, who now lives in Berlin, is running two tours until the end of July where the scenery is based on life stories of local people and mining landscapes on the edge of Welzow-Süd. Visitors will be moved by insights into the realities of life quite literally at the coalface and into the lives of the people whose home is on the edge of Europe’s biggest working open-cast mine.
The parish church in Guben/Gubin, the German-Polish town of two halves, hosted a very special concert last weekend. Exactly 65 years since the end of the War, more than 2,000 visitors streamed into the church ruins for a marathon 24-hour organ recital which was organised as part of the "Paradise 2" events. Four German and four Polish musicians played through the night, breathing life into the house of God. The pieces of music had been chosen on the basis of the moving stories told by Poles and Germans who met together in “listening circles” organised as part of Montalta’s project.

Swiss director Jürg Montalta after the Lake Symphony - Italian-born artist Tommaso Lana in action - German-Polish choir opening the marathon organ recital


(2) Paradise 2 tells all:

The Mystery of Schlabendorf in five movements

On 28 May the secret will be out when “The Mystery of Schlabendorf” is performed as part of the “Paradise 2” art project. The small village of 300 near Luckau had all but been sacrificed to the lignite mining industry, and it is only thanks to the political reforms of 1989/90, when an end was called to open-cast mining, that Schlabendorf can celebrate its 800th anniversary this year. Now 120 performers are set to take to the streets to unveil the mystery of their village’s roots in words and music. The “contemporary village musical composition in five movements” was composed by English artist Hazel Leach in memory of various events in the long history of the village and will be performed on the last weekend in May and the first weekend in June. The musicians and their entourage will stop at the village school, barn, church, ballroom, former estate, village square and the new harbour to perform the five movements of the “village musical composition”.
Dates: 28 and 29 May and 4 and 5 June 2010, 19:00 hrs., Luckau/OT Schlabendorf
Buy tickets online


(3) Expo Completto:

Launch event for exhibition "The Reconquering of a Landscape"

The final countdown for the IBA started on 24 April. The exhibition "The Reconquering of a Landscape" presents the 30 projects and 10 milestones of the IBA, tracing the stages of their development and setting them in their ambivalent context of economic necessities, destructive changes to the landscape and new opportunities. The exhibition will now be reopened on 20 May at 17:30 hrs. in recognition of the addition of the advanced modules "Inspiration - development of the Großräschen Süd pilot area", the mine redevelopment work and a BASF Lounge. There will be a guided tour and presentation by Prof. Dr. Harald Bodenschatz on the subject of reconquering landscapes as well as a stimulating panel discussion about the past and future of the region. A performance by the dance and drama group "Vaivèn" will be followed by short films about open-cast mining which were produced in the faculty of 3D modelling at the Brandenburg University of Technology and which capture the surreal atmosphere of the mining landscapes.

Minister-President Matthias Platzeck opened the event - one module already on show: the lakeland model


(4) Book now:

Two-day IBA tour for professionals to provide overview of the IBA work

This two-day IBA tour is recommended for any professionals in the relevant sectors of industry who have always wanted to fathom the depths of IBA land and find out more about the work of the IBA. The event begins with a guided tour of the exhibition on the IBA Terraces. The party will then be taken to Welzow-Süd working open-cast mine. Leaving the coal mine behind, the tour moves on to the emerging Lusatian Lakeland and to pilot projects of significance for tourism. On the second day the focus of the action will move to two outstanding IBA projects which exemplify the industrial origins of the lakeland scenery, namely the Lauchhammer bio-towers and the F60 visitor mine. The tour will be accompanied by expert IBA guides and project coordinators.
Dates: 18.6 - 19.6, 3.9 - 4.9, from the IBA Terraces in Großräschen
Information and booking


(5) Higher education partnership deal sealed:

"Site office" to oversee redevelopment of Gubin parish church

German and Polish scientists want to work together on the redevelopment of the church ruins in the Polish town of Gubin on the river Neisse. A cooperation agreement to this effect has been signed by the universities of Cottbus and Zielona Góra and by Gubin town council. The aim is to restore and preserve the former Guben parish church and to develop an arts centre and cultural heritage archive on the site.
The development project will bring together preservation experts, architects, town planners, district planners and civil engineers from both universities in the form of a "site office" which will run along similar lines to the age-old tradition of the stonemasons’ lodges in Cologne or Vienna. The European INTERREG IVa funding programme is providing 1.4 million euros from its development budget to finance the initial steps in the restoration of the church. The damaged belfry is first on the list for repair, the aim being to restore access to the bell tower before the end of this year. Further underpinning work is to be done on the nave and there are also plans for an international architectural competition and an exhibition.

Prof. Kuczyński, Vice-President of the University of Zielona Góra, IBA Director Prof. Kuhn, Mayor Bartłomiej Bartczak and BTU Vice-President Prof. Koziol


(6) Utopia reviewed:

Exhibition and “walk ‘n’ talk” about Pritzen

The heritage landscape of Pritzen was one of the IBA's very first projects. The aim was to develop new perspectives for the village which was to be sacrificed to the coal mining industry and which today lies on a peninsula jutting into Lake Altdöbern. With 12 impressive exhibits making a bold statement in the landscape - the legacy of two art biennials in the 1990s - it stood to reason to link the further development of the village to artistic and cultural initiatives. What is the outcome of these plans? The exhibition “Heritage landscape of Pritzen - Utopia conducts self-review” documents the efforts which have been made over the last few years. There will be a “walk ‘n’ talk” through the village on 19 June with three stops to allow time for discussions on the past, present and future of the village. The evening will end with a small social gathering and various artistic contributions.
Dates: Exhibition from 23.5 - 18.7, Sat + Sun 12:00 - 18:00 hrs., admission free
“Walk ‘n’ talk”: 19.6, 15:00 hrs., Pritzen Arts Barn


(7) Between mill and mine:

Change in the cultivated landscape of Fürstlich Drehna

The village of Fürstlich Drehna also has a “mining past”. The former mediatised territory was practically surrounded on all sides by open-cast mines by the end of the 1980s. Just under half of the 52-hectare park fell victim to the coal mining industry while the manor house was used as a reformatory and rapidly fell into disrepair. When the open-cast mines were closed down, a 12-hectare area of the destroyed landscaped park was recultivated and various attractions were developed around the village. One such attraction, which was developed close to the park, was a historic post mill dating back to 1788 which was due for demolition elsewhere. This has been the venue for the national Mill Day celebrations for some years now. This year the theme of the festival will be “Change in the cultivated landscape of Fürstlich Drehna”. There will be a festival service on the Platz der Erinnerung at the cultural monument "Wüste Kirche", followed by music and cultural performances, an exhibition about the transformation in the cultivated landscape around Fürstlich Drehna, and charabanc rides into the countryside. Ancient mill technology and milling customs will be demonstrated.
Date: 24.5, 9:30 - 17:00 hrs., Fürstlich Drehna Post Mill, contact: tel.: 035324-38163
or 035324-569


(8) Spotlight on the “Green Princess”:

Exhibition about Lucie von Pückler

Schloss Branitz, the stately home of Branitz, will be hosting an exhibition from 20 May on Princess Lucie, wife and companion of Hermann Fürst von Pückler-Muskau, after whom the IBA is named. The culture of Brandenburg is a focus theme for 2010, and the trust which looks after the Prince Pückler museum, park and palace, namely the “Stiftung Fürst-Pückler-Museum Park und Schloss Branitz”, is taking this opportunity to trace the history of the life of this extraordinary woman and to demonstrate the part she played in the work of the Prince. The “Green Princess” - as the exhibition is also named - shared Pückler’s passion for gardens and gardening, encouraged him to write about his extensive travels, managed their affairs during his absence, and oversaw development projects of her own, such as the “Kurbad” spa in Muskau. She was a pillar of strength and a source of inspiration for Pückler both in terms of her practical organisational skills and her intellectual abilities.
Dates: 20.5 - 31.10, daily 10:00 - 18:00 hrs., Pückler Museum Branitz


last update: 1/26/2017 13:13