Project "HANGING AROUND IN EUROPE "

refers to spending time, sitting in front of your own house, on a wall close to your place, on chairs, benches, on the steps or others, at bus stops without ever taking a bus, at refreshment kiosks, at street corners and other places, in a village or in the city. These motives of "spending time without activity" you find all across Europe in most different expressions, many different reasons why, traditions or mentalities.

"I have made these observations during my many travel activities since 1968, until today. In front of my flat two men around their forties meet regularly sitting down on a small wall. They do this two to three times a day at different times no matter how the weather is like, for different periods, at least an hour. They drink a bottle of beer each. One is fat and tall, the other one is small and stocky. They sit and do not really watch something. After a while they move one street ahead to return to their flats."

In Spain , Portugal and other south European countries, "hanging around" has a tradition as a siesta or just wishing to stay outside. Especially, this goes for old people.

To be on the street, not inside your house, your flat or at your working place, in central and northern Europe has a more negative image for people in an age being able to work.

Society has changed, in the west by the fact that solitariness and estrangement from family has become the normal case, in Eastern Europe by the quick and unprepared change from so called socialism to capitalism. And everywhere there is a increasing number of poor people.

To prepare an artistic photographic documentary of people hanging around in Europe is the main aim of this project. This tool will help showing the changes and mentalities, behaviour and life situations of the people within a well known image: "hanging around".

But an exhibition of such photos would not be enough. The project consists of further elements: We will add music to the single photos which is either authentically chosen by the ones who were photographed or selected by the artists. This combination of static photo material and music you can hear shows further facets like tradition (folk music or regional sounds), the favourite song or the one, chosen by the artist as an artificial correlation underlining another reality. Further more dancers will develop performances due to some of the photos, either as something which could have happened before or after the situation which is seen on the photos.

The project will be realized by the different partners autonomously. Exhibitions will take place at different places. The main output of the project including the dance, theatre and music parts will be shown at spaces which themselves symbolize changes of structures in the economics and/or society like empty halls, industrial areas or buildings.

Schedule: research from now on, pre-showings from September 2006 Main presentations from may 2007.