I call all my multinational projects “no más fronteras”, dealing with the problems of the border in its broadest meaning, helping to overcome situations of conflicts, wherever they are.
Prior to the no más fronteras Piensk-Rothenburg action, participants from the international workshops from Altzella, together with members of the Bundeswehr made a stop on the border cities of Görlitz-Zgorzelec. Through the cooperation of the lord mayors from both cities, Prof. Dr. Rolf Karbaum from Görlitz and Miroslaw Fiedorowicz from Zgorzelec, Batuz was able to organize an additional no más fronteras on this section of the border between Poland and Germany. Directors from various schools on both sides of the border as well as the directors from surrounding institutions for the disabled volunteered to participate. The participants arrived in the morning at the city hall of Görlitz where preliminary instructions were laid out for the various encounters to be held on both sides of the bridge spanning the border between the two cities. Here, students from various schools, handicapped individuals accompanied by their aids, and random passersby joined the group and moved on towards the bridge. Giving continuance to the mode of communication through art that has been consistently applied to all no más fronteras projects, carpets were here provided for the participants to paint upon, providing the means for their communication in this project. Groups were here established into three, according to the three carpets provided. The groups were relatively mixed but with direction. Many of the international artists attending the workshops in Altzella remained on the German side with students from both sides where they worked upon one of the three carpets. The other two were taken to the other side of the border. Professors from Poland and Hungary advised a group comprised of the handicapped individuals, together with youths attending schools on both sides of the border. The other group was lead by professors from the USA together with those from Germany and Poland. They were in charge of a larger group of students and passersby who participated in the working of the third carpet. The activities lasted throughout the day, broken by a luncheon where all united and exchanged some of their preliminary experiences. After which all broke off again to their groups and finished their works. Batuz and officials continuously visited the various groups, overseeing, advising, exchanging ideas and opinions and generating the feeling of no más fronteras intended. They received many welcoming remarks from the participants and their own opinions of this new approach to cultures not only from afar, but of the unusual contact to their direct neighbors. The works then were collected with the intention to be exhibited in Altzella together with the upcoming results from the following project further north along the border. |