This is a special concert on the outskirts of town.

‘Tamuro’ is a Japanese word. It means ‘spending time together’.
The artist Masamitsu Araki has an idea.
He is thinking of car parks in Japan.
People use the car parks as meeting places.
The artist used to go there often himself.

There are lots of cars in the car parks.
The cars have loud music playing.
Araki turns the cars into an orchestra.
The cars drive slowly in circles whilst playing music.
The concert takes place at dusk.

The project originates from the city of Kyoto.
A new version has been created for the Weimar Arts Festival.
They are staging the concert on the festival grounds in Apolda.
People from the local area are taking part in Apolda.
They are people from the car-tuning scene.

The car-tuning scene means: people modify their cars.
They make the cars look better or sound louder.
This is called car tuning.

Many people have this hobby.
They often meet up with their cars.
This group of people is called a scene.
They show each other their vehicles.

Artists from Johannesburg are coming.
They’ll be performing dance and music.
The piece is about work.
Many people do hard work.
They often earn very little money.

The story centres on a worker.
He has left his home town.
Now he lives in a big city.
Life there is fast-paced and stressful.
The system is often unfair.

The music sounds like the rhythm of machines.
This shows that work is often hard and monotonous.
People feel like cogs in a machine.

The performance addresses concerns such as:
- People losing their jobs.
- Everything becoming more expensive.
- There not being enough money.

People are standing up against poor treatment.
They remember their history.
In the past, many people in Africa were exploited.
Today, they show their pride.
They celebrate their courage and their survival.

Leïla Ka performs modern dance.
She invents new dances.
Five women dance in the piece.
They wear 40 different dresses.
For example, wedding dresses or nightdresses.

The women move around a lot.
They spin round quickly.
They fall to the floor.
Music by Leonard Cohen plays in the background.
You can also hear old songs from France.

The dancers express a wide range of emotions.
Sometimes they are happy.
Sometimes they are very sad.
The dresses are second-hand.
Each dress has its own story.

The piece is about women.
Women stick together.
Women rebel against rules.
They show their strength.
And they show their vulnerability.

This evening, you will see three short dance pieces.
They explore the themes of control and freedom.
Three talented performers will showcase their artistry.
They dance about power and strength.

Hana Umeda dances inside a small box.
The box measures just 1.7 cubic metres.
Within it, she seeks protection and support.
She draws on traditional Japanese dance.
In the past, women in Japan had little freedom.
Hana Umeda expresses freedom through her imagination.

Islam Elarabi blends modern dance with music from Egypt.
The music is called mahraganat.
This music played an important role in the protests in Cairo.
Protesting means speaking out about what troubles you.

Islam Elarabi’s dance is full of energy.
You can feel the anger and the joy.
He expresses the desire for freedom.

What is life like for women in a country at war?
There is often violence against women there.
The dance piece ‘Kizazi’ explores this theme.
‘Kizazi’ is a word from the Kiswahili language.
It means ‘womb’.
The dance depicts violence against women throughout history.
It also highlights injustice.
Stéphanie Mwamba expresses pain and memories.
She longs for a just world.

Two orchestras are performing a concert together.
They are the Staats-Kapelle Weimar and the STÜBA Philharmonic.
The two ensembles have been working together for a long time.
Now, for the first time, they are sharing the stage.

One piece of music is called ‘The Planets’.
Gustav Holst wrote this music 100 years ago.
The music describes various stars in the universe.
Each planet sounds different.
Mars sounds loud and dangerous.
Venus sounds calm and peaceful.
Neptune sounds mysterious.
The music is very exciting and evocative.

The orchestra will also play another piece.
It is called ‘Fratres’. This is Latin and means ‘brothers’.
Arvo Pärt composed this piece.
He is to receive an important award this year.
The award is called the Goethe Medal.
Arvo Pärt’s music sounds like bells.

The Junge Deutsche Philharmonie and She She Pop are putting on a musical theatre production.

She She Pop is a theatre company.

The Junge Deutsche Philharmonie makes music. An orchestra is like one big body. Lots of people play instruments together. Everyone looks at the sheet music. Or they look at the person at the conductor’s podium. Everyone has a specific role. In this concert, it’s different. The musicians talk about themselves. They express their own opinions. They break away from the old rules. The audience experiences something new. It raises an important question: Do you always have to play exactly as written? Or are artists allowed to be free?

This is a funny story.
It is about a special friendship.

A man has stolen something.
But it is very small.
You can not even see it.
Should the man be punished for it?

Two men are talking about it.
They talk about their dreams.
Both of them like eating spaghetti Bolognese.
And both of them would like to be a zebra.

But the men are very different.
One man is a thief.
The other man is a policeman.
Yet they are friends.

The play is funny and lovely.
It is full of imagination.
Children can easily understand the play.

This is an audio drama.
It is about people’s origins.
And it is about the future.

It is summer at the outdoor swimming pool.
It smells of chlorine and chips.
Children are running about.
Older people are lying in the sun.
Lots of people are swimming in the water.

There are outdoor swimming pools in many towns and cities.
People meet there.
The Studio Urbanistan group asks questions there.
It’s about the history of Germany.

How do people think today?
What do they think about East Germany?
What do they think about West Germany?

The audience are given headphones.
They go into the empty Schwansee-Bad.
There, they listen to and watch a performance.
It is about differences in society.
It is about one’s own origins.
And it’s about the barriers in our minds.
These barriers are meant to disappear.

Derya Yıldırım and her band make music.
The band is called Grup Şimşek.
They play songs from Turkey, which is where Derya Yıldırım’s family comes from.
She blends traditional folk music with modern sounds.

Derya Yıldırım plays a special instrument.
The instrument is called a bağlama.
It is a lute with a long neck.
She also sings beautifully.

The band has released a new CD.
The CD is called Yarın Yoksa.
The musicians play the songs in their own unique style.
The music sounds modern and very lively.

The rhythms are fast and powerful.
The music bridges the past and the present.
Some songs are quiet and soulful.
Other songs are full of energy.
The music knows no boundaries.

An art performance in Ilm Park.

The group Gratte Ciel comes from France.
The name means ‘skyscraper’.
The artists perform contemporary circus.
They are very good at keeping their balance.

Three people are suspended high in the air.
They are standing on metal poles.
The poles are 6 metres high.
The poles sway back and forth.
It looks like reeds in the wind.

The artists move slowly.
There is music playing.
The audience can relax whilst watching.
They can breathe calmly and watch.
It’s a very special experience.

The performance takes place right in the middle of the park.
For a moment, you can experience the world differently.
Everything feels light and free.

Humour means finding something funny.
In this exhibition, artists from many different countries are displaying their works.
Here, humour is more than just entertainment.
Humour is a tool for art.
Laughter helps people through difficult times.
Laughter can weaken those in power.
Humour brings people together.

Artists use different kinds of humour.
In doing so, they criticise problems in the world.
Humour breaks taboos.
Humour shows new ways forward.

Humour conveys contentment and optimism.
This is important in combating hatred in society.
A good mood can make the world a better place.

An exhibition about (un)certainty.

There are many concerns in the world today.
These relate to the environment and politics.
In everyday life, too, many things are changing very quickly.
A sense of security is being lost.
Plans change suddenly.
The world feels uncertain.

But uncertainty is part of life.
It is important for change.
We must therefore remain alert.
We must think in new ways.
And we can discover new things.

The Gaswerk invites you to an exhibition.
The artworks depict the loss of control.
There are videos and images.
There are figures and objects to interact with.
Pupils from Apolda are also taking part.

Ideas for the Future in the City

People have lots of thoughts and wishes.
The Anklang project collects these ideas.
The artist Cosima Göpfert is leading the project.
Staff from Lebenshilfe-Werk are helping her with it.

The group visits lots of places.
They go out onto the streets and to festivals.
They visit schools and cafés.
There, they talk to other people.

They ask questions about the future:
How do we want to live?
What are our dreams?
What should change?

People give short answers.
The artist writes the answers on clay.
The clay is fired in a kiln.
This creates a work of art in Weimar.
The work of art is in the city centre.
Bring a pair of binoculars with you.
Or borrow a pair.
You can do this at the Festival Centre in the Licht-Haus.

Anke Heelemann is running a project in the kiosk.
There used to be newspapers there.
Now there are lots of photos.
The photos depict the lives of strangers.
The kiosk is a place for people to meet.

The project began in 2006.
It is now celebrating its 20th anniversary.
There are plenty of activities on offer for visitors.

You can watch films and look at pictures there.
People can meet up there.
There are also games such as bingo.
You can enjoy some lovely moments there.