Platform
Group photo of numerous citizens forming the number 2025 on Dresden's Elbe river bank.

Platform

The central project "Platform" was an elementary participative instrument of the Bid Office Dresden 2025 in order to mobilize society for the great challenges of the future together with as many cultural actors in the city (and beyond) as possible and to depolarize the current cultural-political discourse.

It saw itself as an offer to every initially local actor who, outside his own "four walls", sets himself the task of creating prototypes of X-Culture in community with others. These should then generate new formats, relationships, contents, competences, values within society, both in Dresden and in other European cities and beyond. The Dresden Capital of Culture programme was not only developed by artistic directors, but to a large extent by the people of Dresden themselves.

The participation process started in early 2019 with a kick-off event in Dresden's City Hall. Around 350 interested people from the independent scene, cultural institutions, clubs and associations as well as academia were invited to discuss socially relevant topics. In nine working groups on the topics of Urban Society, New Memory, E-Culture, Culture & Environment, East & West, New Art, Third Places, Youth & Culture and Culture & Democracy initial ideas were collected on how to deal with the challenges of the future. On 22 June 2019, a symposium took place on the occasion of the Open City Hall Day, at which the theme tables offered the opportunity to give an initial insight into their work and thus to convey impressions of concrete project ideas to a broad public.

From 11 October to 15 December 2019, the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum Dresden functioned as a showcase for Dresden's bid. Here not only the bid book was presented, but also the entire process with all participative processes, including the platform. The thematic tables presented their projects here.

Kick-Off 2019

At the kick-off event for the platform process, curator Michael Schindhelm speaks to participants seated at tables in the plenary hall of City Hall.
At the kick-off event for the platform process, Mayor Dirk Hilbert speaks at City Hall.
At the kick-off event for the platform process, curator Michael Schindhelm speaks to a large number of people at City Hall.
At the kick-off event for the platform process, a participant speaks up.
A participant addresses the audience at the kick-off event for the platform process.
At the kick-off event for the platform process, a participant from the audience speaks up.
At the kick-off event for the platform process, a participant makes a speech.
At the kick-off event for the platform process, several participants discuss sitting at tables.
A participant is seen sitting at a table at the kick-off event for the platform process.
Open Call

Open Call

Right from the start, we involved the city's population in the process, because the bid should be worked out jointly with the people of Dresden. As early as September 2016, we asked: What should Dresden look like in the future and what contribution can culture make to it? Because the title is not an end in itself, in order to market itself better or to make itself better known internationally.

Actions and Projects

2019

2018

2017

Sponsoring Association

Sponsoring Association

The sponsoring association accompanied the bid for the title "European Capital of Culture" and wanted to stimulate a social debate about it. It was setting up a network in Dresden and the surrounding area to develop joint projects for the bid. The association bundled civic commitment and was the contact for projects, sponsoring and further support.