In your own view, what challenges does your project address?
To integrate a bunch of wild, young, multi-ethnic urban artistic amateurs into a professional show production has turned out to be an ongoing, yet rewarding challenge. Young people from the streets, unaccustomed to dramatic and choreographic rules and discipline, are fused with professionals and presented to the public without compromising their vivacity, raw energy and uncommercial 'off the wall' skills. The project also reaches out into multi-ethnic city reality, dealing with sometimes more than 20 different nationalities. Working with pupils, students and apprentices, the timeframe to stage the annual shows is very tight, whereas upcoming talents are to be hosted all year in the project’s 'OPEN SPACE' training centre.
In how far do culture and creativity contribute to your project’s innovative and inclusive character?
Dragging street artistic phenomena from the fringe of (sub)cultural urban life into the limelight gives the participating amateurs and their followers the feeling of being recognised and valued by off-scene people of all ages. Creative cooperation with established artists and professional production teams opens up chances for their further artistic (and personal) development as well as their private and professional networking. Local and regional youth culture as well as the city's cultural life benefit year-round from the publicly available 'OPEN SPACE' training facilities, which have become a meeting point of otherwise scattered and isolated youth scenes.
Please describe the transformative potentials of your project and explain its innovative character.
As an ongoing urban show and street artistic training concept, URBANATIX is the lighthouse leading scattered and often isolated youth scenes the way to communication with other groups, self-recognition and acceptance by mainstream society. On a national, even international scale, the broadly conceived idea has put Bochum on the map as a centre of innovative crossover artistic development, playfully and credibly integrating youth culture by featuring real live characters from the city streets. The pulse and the beat and the speed that instantly made the concept successful are therefore not generated by skillful acting and imitation but by young people bearing the smell of asphalt, concrete and steel.
Urbanatix is nominated for this year's NICE Award. All shortlisted projects can be seen here.