Patrons: Heribert Artzt, Sarajuddin Azimi, Juan Berea Gómez-Naveira, Jonas Hansmann
Commission: We are looking for an art project that addresses loneliness openly and without stigma, using humor as a means of engagement. It should explore and involve local associations and clubs, as well as the responsibilities that communities share. The project should encourage people to become involved in collective life and reveal pathways into community participation. We want it to identify and break down invisible barriers and help create a sustainable framework for bringing people together in Atteln.
Mediators: Marijke Lukowicz, Sophia Trollmann
Period: 2026 ongoing
Partner: Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation)
Program: Citizen-Commissioned Dance and Performance
Are you lonely? Many people would hesitate to answer this question with a yes. Loneliness is often seen as a personal problem or even a stigma. Yet studies and everyday experience alike show that loneliness is on the rise in increasingly individualised societies – even among people with jobs, friends, and family lives.
At first glance, community life seems to come naturally in Atteln, a village in the district of Paderborn. More than 20 clubs and associations shape the social life of its 1,500 residents. Through festivals, sports, cultural activities, and volunteer work, they create cohesion and play an indispensable role in local life. Many members have been actively involved for years.
Yet a strong network of clubs and associations does not automatically protect people from loneliness. In Atteln, too, there are people who feel isolated or excluded. For newcomers in particular, loneliness can be a significant challenge.
Four residents have made this sensitive issue the focus of a public art commission. The group brings together people with very different experiences. Some have been actively involved in local associations for years. Others know firsthand how difficult it can be to find a sense of belonging.
Together, they have observed that communities are not equally accessible to everyone. Those who have family ties in the village, speak the language confidently, or already know people often find it easier to connect. Others encounter barriers, unspoken rules and expectations, or simply do not know how they might become part of the community.
The New Patrons of Atteln are therefore commissioning an art project that addresses loneliness without shame. It should encourage people and create new opportunities for participation, encounters, and togetherness.
The artwork should involve people who have not yet found a place within local clubs, associations, or community groups. At the same time, it should invite existing organisations to reflect on their role and future. Although many people in Atteln are involved in local associations, it is becoming increasingly difficult to attract new members who are willing to commit themselves and take on responsibility over the long term.
The commissioned work should make local knowledge about how communities are built and sustained visible, encourage reflection, and help develop it further. In the long run, the project should offer inspiration beyond the village itself, providing impulses for other communities facing similar challenges. Together with mediators Marijke Lukowicz and Sophia Trollmann, the New Patrons of Atteln are now looking for the right artist to take on this commission.
