GastGastgeber

The plans and projects from the Netherlands that are developed in the Ruhrgebiet at this moment, have been put in motion by own initiative. There was no project manager or superintendent to align the plans and activitities from the beginning. From Dutch side, there appears to be great interest to expose themselves in 2010 in the Ruhrgebiet and thereby reach a maximum of audience and press. To make the very different Dutch projects also clearly visible and identifiable within a very full and diverse program for a whole year, a combining substantive concept has been developed. On the one hand to connect the projects that are already under progress and to make these project ‘recognizable’ for the German public and press. Furthermore to clot the great dynamism and diversity of the projects together to reach a value.

GastGastgeber short

The concept is, in short, that from the Netherlands temporary, special and mobile devices are created for hotel guests and visitors of the project during the Cultural Capital year. These hotel facilities are in place and time associated with concentrations of Dutch cultural presentations but is at the same time centers for design, music, theater and visual arts.

The GastGastgeber concept acts as framework. A framework that allows to adjust and connect the separate Dutch plans  achieve the synergies as comprehensive presentation. Moreover, the Dutch special solution to a practical problem (the lack of hotel facilities) is guaranteed to be noticed. Where these temporary hotel facilities appear they ca be the basis for a strong communication and marketing strategy. Furthermore it gives possibilities to connect to the principles of the Ruhr and RUHR.2010. After all, RUHR.2010 includes the fact that many former industrial sites by means of theater, music and stay open to residents, visitors, artists and creative entrepreneurs, so they can discover the endless possibilities of the Ruhrgebiet.

Motive

The start for the concept emerged during one of the interviews we conducted with the organization of RUHR.2010. The substantive clues that we had during the investigation were found by a practical problem in place, like Strahlkraft (a clever combination of activities and energies). We found that you need to create Strahlkraft to be visible and to raise the curiosity of the participating artists, institutions and future visitors to the particularly impressive industrial character of the area.

It is expected that there is an acute shortage of accommodation in the Ruhrgebiet in 2010. This applies not only to visitors of the many programs, but also for artists, organizers and guests of the program RUHR.2010. The RUHR organization was allegedly unable to find interested investors for new hotel facilities. In the Ruhrgebiet are currently relatively few attractive, inspiring hotels. One positive exception is the ‘Hotel Alte Lohnhalle’ in Essen. But on the whole there are hotels that are often austere and furnished on the business ’standard’ hotel facilities. Moreover, those are the hotels that are already booked for 2010. In view of the expected audience this is a big missed opportunity. Experiences abroad have shown that culture audience like to book an amazing overnight accommodation.

Moreover, as in the sculpture exhibition in Munster, or the 5-yearly Documenta Kassel, they often stay a whole weekend. During a significant proportion of such visits the customer is in or around the hotel room. But not only the pragmatic aspects are important.

For our German partners we described this situation as follows:

“Aller Voraussicht nach wird es im Ruhrgebiet im Kulturhauptstadtjahr 2010 an Betten mangeln. Das klingt zunächst bedrohlich, ist aber eigentlich eine grandiose Chance für ungewöhnliche, spektakuläre und temporäre Übernachtungsmöglichkeiten. Denn wie ich an einem Ort, in einer Metropole oder einer Region empfangen werde, welche die letzten Bilder sind, die ich mit in die Nacht nehme, wer mich wie weckt, welcher Geruch mich umgibt, ob mir das Frühstück ans Bett gebracht wird oder mit wem ich am Buffet stehe und nicht zuletzt, wessen Gast ich bin, das alles prägt entscheidend den Eindruck, den ich von einer Stadt oder einer Region mit nach Hause nehme (in den Orten des Massentourismus beschränkt sich gelegentlich sogar das Bild ganzer Länder ausschließlich auf diese Sphäre).”

“Die Künstler und Gäste der Kulturhauptstadt ausschließlich in den üblichen, international durchstandardisierten, sich im Wesentlichen durch ihren Ausstattungsgrad unterscheidenden Hotels des Ruhrgebiets (oder sogar, aufgrund des Bettenmangels, in Düsseldorf, Köln und Münster) unterzubringen, wäre deshalb, im Sinne der kulturellen Kommunikation der Region, ein schweres Versäumnis.“

Concept

The Netherlands presents and positions itself on the basis of the idea of GastGastgeber during Kulturhauptstadt 2010 by making special temporary mobile facilities for hotel guests and visitors of the different projects. The GastGastgeber offers the opportunity for mutual discovery. On the one hand it creates the opportunity for visitors to intensively explore the Ruhrgebiet and they gradually discover the many Dutch angles of the current culture.

On the other hand, GastGastgeber offers the opportunity for temporary development and opening of numerous sites where Dutch projects will play. This forms the basis to organize the different Dutch contributions in time and space and so it unlocks the area and the program for visitors and press. Dutch companies, institutions and cities can profile themselves in a special way. These include travel to and in an exciting area with many unknown sides with, at the same time, a recognizable and visible presentation of the Dutch projects. In this respect there is explicitly played with the image of which Dutch art and creative entrepreneurs have, believe to have or would like to have in Germany: the innovative, the “locker”, the multi-disciplinary, the enterprising and curious character.

For the various (sub)projects is further mapped how this can be connected to this concept. Hereby it is of special interest to connect (synergy) the projects that are already under development and possibly also to develop projects in line with the GastGastgeber concept.

Furthermore, the concept itself in turn will be able to provoke projects to the sites once unlocked.

The core of the concept involves the creation of temporary special mobile hotel facilities. Empty buildings in specific locations are therefore temporarily refurbished, empty fields are embellished with so called “parasites” or “camping flats’ or temporary ‘Bed & Breakfast’ facilities are designed. The accommodations can be temporary installations and can be designed by architects or interior designers. But it could also be temporary “homes”. Think of caravans, parasites, site huts, kiosks and the like. Promising, eventually young architects may design these. Finally, a large proportion of these parasites can be put inside in one of the empty industrial halls, as it were “inside”, with makes the building task easier. In addition there are opportunities for projects in the fields of food, design and preparation.

The creation of temporary accommodations offers the opportunity to open up areas that are not yet explored or used. In the Ruhrgebiet there are many empty beautiful industrial monuments. And surprisingly many empty fields with a former industrial destination are worth discovering. Activiting new fields may well expose the geographical nature of the Ruhrgebiet. In this light the concept perfectly supports one of the ambitions of RUHR.2010, by reliving and unlocking of unused industrial sites through the creation of so-called Kreativ Quartiere. The first reaction from the organisation of RUHR.2010 on our concept therefore was very enthusiastic. Almost immediately we could join plans for the reuse of industrial sites and interesting places were offered to us. Also different cities in Ruhr showed interest. There are reference points for the concept in, for example, Dortmund, Unna-Massen and Oberhausen. Also various sector institutions showed their interest to participate in the GastGastgeber when it will be realized.