Project description

Not only the financial crisis left behind people “cocooning”. Also, the result of a more and more complicated world leads to a need of a more quiet life, often found at individual sanctuaries, retreats for the inner self.
 
SANCTUARY is an interdisciplinary art project that researches different ways and expressions of retreat into privacy in Europe. Where do people in different European countries find a "save haven"? Is it at home or in their gardens, in a church or in a public park? What is it they wish to escape of? What can we learn about the partner’s culture when we have a look at their SANCTUARIES? And how does this backing out of the demands of modern time affect their general relation to society?
A mixed-national group of artists of different fields of Art will travel to the participating countries. In co-operation with local artists and volunteers, they enter personal and individual SANCTUARIES there. Together with the proprietors they start artistic creations that lead to various outputs such as performances, exhibitions or videos. During the working period, an intensive exchange between the local population and the artists will take place. So the project offers possibilities of participation to the general public.
The feelings of wholeness and safety will be part of the research as well as possible reasons for the “cocooning”.
All artists included are highly qualified; their creations will meet high artistic standards. The artistic outputs are presented to the public in several performances, exhibition, etc. in every participating country.
Some parts of the pieces of art, created in one location will move all across Europe. Props, ideas and/or persons will “travel” from one place/country to another, leading to an accumulation of art. The parts created in the co-operating countries will stay permanently perceivable throughout the process.
The project will be enriched by a congress and a symposium that brings together artists, philosophers and social scientists.

In difficult economic times cocooning seems to be a wide spread reaction. SANCTUARY is an interdisciplinary art project that researches different ways and expressions of this retreat into privacy in Europe. Where do people in different European countries find their "save place"? Is it at home or in their gardens, in the church or at the ancestors’ graves? What is it they wish to escape of? How often do they need this feeling of rest and peace? And how does this backing out of the demands of modern time affect their general relation to “the world”.
A group of 5-6 artists of different fields of Art will travel the participating countries/towns. Together with local artists, students and volunteers, they look for personal and individual SANCTUARIES there. They get in contact with the persons who inhabit these places and start creating artistic works. The owners of the sanctuaries are invited to participate in this artistic creation. This participation can differ from being motif of photographs and paintings to playing an active role in the interdisciplinary performances as actor, dancer or musician.
During the working period an intensive exchange between the “owners” of the sanctuaries and the artists will take place. The feelings of wholeness and safety will be part of the research as well as the reasons for this social retreat.
The artistic outputs will be presented to the public in several performances. The spectators are invited to the sanctuaries and will be part of an art work in process: The results of one place will be presented in the country of its origin and will partly travel to the other countries involved in this project. This means that some scenes, pictures, videos, installations or music pieces created in one place will move all over Europe. Thus the parts of the project created elsewhere will be perceivable.
This research will be accompanied by a symposium that brings together artists, philosophers and social scientists.