The digital City Visit
How can you artistically imagine a city when the people are not there? How do you plan a digital city tour in six weeks, which will also have a significant impact on the title of European Capital of Culture 2025? And how can you show the support of an entire city when there is a pandemic worldwide with the number of infections rising daily? The switch from analog city visits to digital city visits presented us with unexpected challenges.
But we have mastered it! With the support of numerous participants who met the tight schedule, strict hygiene measures and sometimes utopian ideas with creative passion and perseverance. Without these people, none of this would have been possible. Therefore, first of all, THANK YOU! You can find a small list of these people at the end of this article.
The 1st act: HERE
The Herrenhausen Gardens, the New Town Hall or the Maschsee – everyone who wants to get to know Hanover will find themselves in one of these places at some point. We wanted to show the jury that too, of course, but forego the classic sightseeing tour. We want a Sightseeing-Special. Instead, we staged a backdrop theater with 34 wooden walls that were glued on and made especially for this purpose by the Hanover Theater. Eight slide shifters moved the wooden walls from one side to the other and so presenter Ninia LaGrande was once a pedal boat on the Maschsee or rode through the Georgengarten – she actually always stays at the main location, the Ihme Center. Always there: the actor Mathias Max Hermann, who is critical of the Capital of Culture application and comments on the moderation accordingly.
One of the heart of our application is the Mobile Agora. In 2025, it will move through the city on the Cityring all year round. Sometimes it meanders through the streets, sometimes it piles up. Wherever it lingers, it docks onto existing buildings - and plays on them. If she moves on, she'll leave a hickey there. With the detailed drawings by Lucas Hamilcaro, the Datenstrudel collective has already brought this vision to life during their digital city visit.
When the Mobile Agora stays in one place, it not only docks to the existing building, but also provides a direction of view. A spotlight falls from her into the district, the region and as far as Europe - and definitely a (political) focus. For example, if the spotlight points to Poland, LGBTIQ + rights are dealt with in a particularly focused manner in the spotlight. The spotlights are "Our Way to Europe" - from Hanover and the region to Europe. During the digital city visit, we first spoke to Noor Mertens, the director of the Kunstverein Langenhagen, and then to the artist Christophe Meierhans, who campaigns among other things for climate protection in Brussels.
The Cityring, VW, Continental – Hanover is a City full of cars. The Raschplatzhochstraße as part of the city ring is a particularly important hub for car traffic in the state capital. It is precisely on this street that the "GO!" stand. The Raschplatzhochstrasse would be closed for a year. We have already shown during the city visit that this can work. In a pre-produced clip, Hanoverians wrote the words "Normalcy is not an Option" out of turf on the bridge – and made themselves comfortable there with a parasol and camping chairs.
The 2nd act: NOW
It is probably the most controversial building in Hanover: the Ihme Center. The brutalist building complex with the largest concrete foundation in Europe was designed as a city within the city in the 1970s and was then considered a model for the urban compression of life and work. Today the substructure is falling into disrepair, while over 2,400 people still live on the upper floors of the residential towers. It is precisely there that a central European Capital of Culture project is to be realized: The International Center for Artistic Research (IZKF).
The Ihme-Zentrum also plays a major role in the digital city visit. Thomas Posth introduces the second act with 50 musicians who play the minimalist, repetitive piece "In C" by Terry Riley in a former row of shops in the Ihmezentrum - here, we show why we're UNESCO City of Music. The pulsating sound already indicates how things will continue: Because we want to plant a beating cultural heart in the gray giant Ihme-Zentrum.
The think tank "Beauty of Failure" has prepared an impressive performance together with residents, local institutions such as the Brutal Gallery and the Hanover State Opera. In "A Beating Heart for the Gray Giant", presenter Ninia LaGrande meets artists, residents and activists. It's about Heiner Müller's "heart", bricks, a street art film festival and Fridays for Future demonstrators who state "No Future - No Culture". To top it off, dancers from the Hanover State Opera dance an energetic choreography on the central Ihmeplatz - with bricks, of course.
The 3rd act: EVERYONE
Hanoverians who hang almost 36 square meters banners from the town hall balcony during the bid-book presentation. City employees who campaigned for us far beyond administrative borders. Firemen and women who support us in presenting our second bid book. Aha employees who help us to distribute turf on the Raschplatzhochbrücke - and then clean the street again.
This application would not have been possible without you ALL. That's why we start the third act with that: with YOU. "From Hannover with Love" was shot in advance on the Glockseewiese and is one of our so-called "tracking shots". There artists like Mousse T. stand next to committee chairmen like Magdalena Jackstadt, and Eddie, the Hannover 96 mascot. It is a small excerpt from all the people who supported us so actively in front of and behind the scenes. Thanks for that!
Then it's "Europe, let's talk". From Hanover we go virtually to Europe. Presenter Ninia LaGrande speaks about live video with Igor Levit in Stockholm, Anestis Azas in Athens, Nevin Aladağ in Berlin, Marta Górnicka in Warsaw, Jane Hall in London and Jean Peters in Cologne. As artists and project partners, they are all part of our program for 2025. At the same time, however, they are also artistic activists who advocate European values and thus represent our program.
Here, now, all - in the digital City Visit we have once again let our motto speak for itself. Because for us it stands for a central aim of the application: to understand Hanover as an artistic space for negotiation of European issues, as Agora of Europe. Because that doesn't always need big words, we close with something that carried us like a red thread through the application: We let art speak for itself.
For this purpose, the Datenstrudel collective brought together gymnasts, a fire-eater, pigeons, artists, flag throwers and a horse. The goal: a tracking shot in slow motion. In just under five seconds of shooting time, the participants performed a choreography on the Glockseewiese. Some fell over, others did somersaults or waved their flags. Details that cannot be grasped in a few seconds. That's why we shot this part in advance - and slowed it down. In the digital city visit, these five seconds turned into just under three minutes. But see for yourself ...
Credits:
A
HANN*VER 2025 PRODUCTION
IN COOPERATION WITH
TVN
Leadership-Duo
Melanie Botzki & Inga Samii
Artistic production management
Lena Kußmann
Artistic concept
Ninia Binias
Juan S. Guse
Mathias Max Herrmann
Jörn Hintzer
Jakob Hüfner
Thomas Posth
Ilka Theurich
Aljoscha Begrich
Creative Director Video
Roman Meyer-Paulino
Technical management
Willi Brune
Production
Kira von der Brelie
Halyna Felten
Vasiliki-Anneta Gogou
Lena Günther
Antonia Kohlbecher
Luna Jurado
Pauline Knoblauch
Sabine Müller
Uljana Schneider
Anett Schweitzer
Michael Stork
Franzisca Tinnefeld
Lea Vache
Realization Video
Jan Weber-Verlinden
Benjamin Hollmann
Technical Equipment
Christoph Bierer
Jan-Philip Haase
Frank Hamann
Remo R. Knauf
Sören Nyhuis
Technical partners
Ebeling Garten - und Landschaftsbau
Fliegende Bauten Hannover
Hannover Stage Lighting
HELAN Veranstaltungsservice
Helmer Die Eventausstatter
Media TV Video Systeme
EMST
Runner
Reimo
Make-up artist
Gülcan Kavzan
Question & Answer Jury
Dilek Ruf & Benjamin Foerster-Baldenius
Ingelore Rakisch & Belit Onay
Stefan Becker & Ferry Ghods
Laura Bermann & Ilka Theurich
Lotte Lindner & Ulrike Willberg
Torsten Jaskulski & Jan-Philippe Lücke
Sightseeing-Special
Sonja Anders
Hüseyin Erhan
Leonardo Schlösser
Natalia Rennalls
Frederik Heißmeyer
Malte Wunder
Lina Wegner
Noel Verley
Bela Staade
Our Way to Europe
Christophe Meierhans
Noor Mertens
Where we start from - Go!
Marc Alsina-Martinez
Jonas Wömpner
Martin Ewald
Oleg Geringer
Frank Plotzki
Uwe Schiemann
Sven Hoja
Sven Kellner
Renate Behrens
Mathias Lemme
Sven Martin
Gabriel Jankuc
Ilir Marina
Gordon Bruchanski
Zeki Güven
Kevin Ludwick
Stefan Spangenberg
Karim Ben Hadef
Rainer Behrens
Maximilian Froreich
Adelheid Botzki
Aiko Sukdolak
Alexandra Dzaack
Anni Schriever
Arnd Malcher
Basti Kissler
Christian Botzki
Christine Preitauer
Claus Tinnefeld
Debora Khan
Elise Kissler
Elise Malcher
Ellis Rahel Heimann
Eva Hofman
Freund Matze
Freundin Emma
Friederike Eike
Georg Rinke
Hülya Häseler
Imke Schriever
Inge Sewing
Irma Tinnefeld
Joachim Sewing
Joachim von der Brelie
Johann Botzki
Johanna Gefäller
Julia Bolzek
Julius Gefäller
Kathrin von der Brelie
Katrijn Kornmann
Lasse Gefäller
Leni Malcher
Leonie von der Brelie
Line Schriever
Linus Gefäller
Lotte Lindner
Lucie Tinnefeld
Luisa Preitauer
Malou Gefäller
Marei Malcher
Maximilian von Horstig
Mia Fee Kissler
Michael Hofman
Mustafa Kaps
Oda von Horstig
Pauline Kissler
Pepe Schriever
Philipp Linss
Phillip Schriever
Polina Jakimova
Reinhard von Horstig
Robin Höning
Sebastian Dorn
Sibylle Hennings
Stephan Holtz
Stephan Kaps
Werner Ganske
Yoko Bolzek
Yves Dorn
UNESCO City of Music
Renate Apperloo
Uwe Bade
Carsten Bethmann
Martha Blohmer
Sven Braun
Francesco Cascarano
Leonardo Cella
Finn Clausen
Ània Custodio Folch
Arne Dreske
Jannik Fröhlich
Markus Gehnen
Tilman Grunwald
Nicolae Gutu
Hanna Heitmann
Monika Herrmann
Max Hobohm
Ningjie Huang
Sandra Huber
Thomas Huppertz
Denise Kahlmann
Mariya Kashyna
Szabolcs Katona
Johannes Keller
Mir Kim
Thomas Klawier
Christine Köhler
Sigrun Krüger
Jonas Kruse
Carlo Lay
Tong Li
Sebastian Maas
Oliver Mascarenhas
Abbie McDonagh
Joschka Merhof
Matthias Meßmer
Henriette Otto
Natalie Palsa
Felix Petry
Katharina Pfänder
Ulrich Roscher
Ottilie Seidel
Aleksei Shust
Andrii Stadniuk
Emilia Teresa Stepien
Juan Claudio Téllez Range
Pavlo Titiaiev
Barbara v. Knobelsdorff
Olof von Gagern
Qingzhu Weng
Tom Wisniewski
A Beating Heart for the Grey Giant
Adria Vilar Alguero
Alban Mondschein
Alessandra La Bella
Ana Djordjevic
Andrea Casabianchi
Babar Hussain
Carla Nadeshdin
Carsten Hentrich
Daphne Schüttekamp
Dennis Pörtner
Dörte Redmann
Enric Fort Ballester
Fajullah
Flavio Rodrigues
Francisco Banos
Hannah Helsing
Harry Krauss
Ilka Theurich
Ilona Nasemann
Inga Buhr
Ingrid Wagemann
Inka Grund
Jonas Rahm
Josephine Altmeyer
Joy Lohmann
Julia Ruchatz
Justus Linnekugel
Karoline Gundermann
Kaspar Locher
Kathrin Apelt
Keijo Grothoff
Kolja Wagner
Laura Nicole Viganó
Laurin Lindner
Maje Mellin
Manfred Hinz
Marlo Zirr
Marta Cerioli
Maximilian
Michèle Stéphanie Seydoux
Miriam van der Neut
Miriam Wendschoff
Nane Anna Bohn
Nicolas Matthews
Otto Stein
Özkan Ayik
Peter Purge
Richard Walker
Sascha Maaß
Sebastian Stein
Stephanie Ristik-Bresser
Till Steinbrenner
Tommy Rous
Tosh Leykum
Verónica Segovia Torres
Wolfgang
Schauspiel Hannover
From Hannover with Love
Nils Kochskämper
Barbara v. Knobelsdorff
Nofal Ahed
Vicki Kovacs
Nicolae Gutu
Thomas Klawier
Gülsah Ece
Christian Pütter
Lothar Krist
Oliver Mascarenhas
Hadi Andywi
Mareike Brévart
Stephanie Gudat
Julia Gentili
Gerd Runge
Marita Faye
Hans-Dieter Kahlmann
Claudia Müller
Maxi Carl
Jarste Gildehaus
Ulrike Haberer
Sebastian Dorn
Susanne Müller-Jantsch
„Eddi“
Peggy Prowaznik
Dirk Schröder
Georg Rinke
Dirk Machentanz
Uwe Stelter
Katja Krause
Anke Biedenkapp
David Lampe
Daniel Gardemin
Meggy
Myriam Abdel-Rahman Sherif
Sven Kellner
Rajiny Kumaraiah
Gerd Weiberg
Helene Herich
Fettah Diouri
Carsten Schierholz
Alexander Koch
Joy Lohmann
Simone Liedtke
Günter Evert
Yves Amerjal
Heide Stolzenwald
Sven Hoja
Mousse T.
Franziska Stünkel
Alia Samii
Till Steinbrenner
Christian Kruse
Anja Schneider
Sabine Trötschel
Josef von Helden
Lotte Lindner
Michael Wiechert
Johann Botzki
Lisa Weber mit Klara
Kerstin Noura Atallah
Charlotte Bockhorst
Matthias Görn
Carsten Kalaschnikow
Parisa Hussein-Nejad
Tobias Kunze
Susanne Leifheit
Stephan Kaps
Wolfgang Pruisken
Isis Dormeyer
Katharina Braun
Matthias Riemann
Meike Göbel
Michael Davies
Maximilian Horn
Stefan Altmeyer
Martina Jung
Europe, let's talk
Igor Levit
Anestis Azas
Nevin Aladağ
Marta Górnicka
Jane Hall
Jean Peters
Agora of Europe
Annalena Mohaupt
Anouk Elaine Baltzer
Antje Spatzl-Puljiz
Antonia Klöpper
Bela Lieder
Beyza Celik
Carlo Puljiz
Carlotta Karrasch
Charlotte Pagendarm
Charlotte Rodriguez
Christian Kruse
Christine Feldmann
Chrysovalantis Lazarou
Dieter Dereser
Eliza Voßhage
Emma Aurora Laautenbach
Evelyn Gersemsky
Falk Maske
Gabi Sundmacher
Hannah Gibson
Heide Mende
Helge Dereser
Ian Koloch
Inna Koch
Iris Osterwald
Jan Rotermund
Jannes Vollmer
Jonathan Westphal
Juan Carlos Sousa Stolte
Julia Winklhardt
Jürgen Böttcher
Kayetawe Schreiber
Laura Braams
Laura Braams
Leonardo Schlösser
Lucas Göhr
Luca-Tiwa Charlotte Blings
Lukas Feldmann
Lydia Ziegltrum
Maike Ehrhardt
Mara Puljiz
Marie Julie Varady
Marit Pesch
Marleen Kretschmann
Marvin Radke
Maximilian Froreich
Melissa Kühnlein
Meret Voßler
Merret Hoffmann
Michael Davies
Michael Wulf
Michele Schröder
Nadine Alberti
Natalia Rennalls
Ned Sisson
Nicole Asche
Nina Hüfner
Pascal Beier
Paul Hartinger
Paul-Simon Reiß
Peter Berndt
Peter Gierke
Phillipp Dolff
Sven Spiller
Svenja Dunkel
Tanja Braams
Terese Koloch
Additional thanks
Stefan Altmeyer
Dr. Axel Brockmann
Marlies Fertmann
Helene Herich
Heli Meisterson
Jens Rörig
Susanne Schmidt
Thomas Schwarz
Ralf Sonnenberg
Silvio Studzinski
Lisa Weber
Oeds Westerhoff