Patrons: Danilo Bandlow, Bianca Haisch, Heiko Kühl, Angela Kuboth, Simon Voigt, Caroline Wenndorff

Commission: We wish for a bold artwork that connects people of all generations. Through it, we want to discover how we can tell the story of our shared tomorrow. It should be open and easily accessible, so that as many people as possible can take part and see themselves reflected. We are looking for an artistic work that draws on the creativity of local people and embraces the value of the unfinished and the imperfect – in keeping with the character of our city. For Neubrandenburg has experienced many ruptures and has always managed to begin anew.

Mediator: Alina Kokoschka, Anna Wiese

Period: 2025 ongoing

Partner: Kulturstiftung des Bundes

Program: Citizen-Commissioned Dance and Performance

Neubrandenburg is a town that has had to start over again and again: almost completely burned down at the end of the Second World War, rapidly expanded in the GDR as a planned district capital, and once more in upheaval after 1989 – each generation here has its own experiences with change and new beginnings.

A large part of the city’s population came in the 1950s to make a fresh start. Their families now live in the city in the second and third generation; some people move away, others arrive anew. Many carry stories that began elsewhere. Out of ruptures and transitions, something new has continually emerged.

“The repeated upheavals and new beginnings continue to shape the city today – visible in its architecture and traceable in the biographies of its families.”

Yet this shared wealth of experience often remains invisible today. The city has lost some of its vitality. The New Patrons of Neubrandenburg observe that the different generations now often live side by side – each on their own.

The group wants to counter this tendency: they are seeking an impulse from outside and are therefore commissioning an artistic work in the field of dance or performance. The work should bring together people of all generations and invite them to contribute their creativity, their skills, and their stories. It should be open and accessible, with a shared process at its core.

“Something bold should emerge”

Their wish is for something lasting – a format that becomes anchored in urban life, that can be repeated, transformed, and carried forward. Equally important to them: the artistic work should embrace the unfinished and the open-ended. For they see in this a special strength of their city. Together with mediators Alina Kokoschka and Anna Wiese, they are now searching for the right artistic personality to take on their commission.

They have already identified the ideal site for the work: Lake Tollense and the adjacent cultural park. The densely built city center should open up towards this space, for the lake and its wide open grounds offer a fitting stage for rediscovering a sense of community. For the group, Lake Tollense is a place full of history and stories, a place that connects people – and uniquely intertwines the city’s past and future.

“Everyone in Neubrandenburg loves Lake Tollense and is connected to it through personal memories and anecdotes.”