Iaphet Elli Minister of State Axel Wintermeyer
looks forward to “plenty of culture from Hesse for the world”
The Head of the Hessian State Chancellery, Minister of
State Axel Wintermeyer, will be visiting the Hesse Week exhibition in the
German Pavilion at EXPO 2015 in Milan on 10 and 11 September. In the week from
7 to 13 September, the state is putting on an exhibition representing itself at
the universal exposition which will include a multifaceted programme. Looking
forward to his visit, Minister of State Wintermeyer said: “During its state
week, Hesse will present itself as an innovative, imaginative and liveable
state in the heart of Germany and Europe. Plenty of Hessian culture will be
shared with the world. We are also presenting an exhibition entitled
‘Overcoming Borders: From Dictatorship to Democracy’, to inform viewers about
the upcoming celebrations to mark 25 years of German unity. Hesse has lots to
offer and we want to show that to the world in Milan.”
The EXPO opened on 1 May. Its theme is “Feeding the
Planet, Energy for Life.” 148 participating countries and organisations are
presenting themselves and their solutions for sustainable human nutrition at
the 110-hectare site in Lombardy’s capital until the end of October. Messe
Frankfurt is responsible for organising and running the German Pavilion on
behalf of the country’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Under
the central idea “Fields of Ideas”, new and unusual solutions from Germany for
nutrition are being showcased, and under the motto “Be active!”, the pavilion
is inviting visitors to take action themselves.
Minister of State Wintermeyer said: “It fills me with
joy to know our state is being represented by so many cultural highlights in
the German Pavilion. It shows that also when it comes to culture, there is no
way round Hesse – not even at the EXPO.”
During Hesse Week, a 10-hour stage programme will be
presented in front of the German Pavilion every day. The following artists will
be representing the state’s rich culture with their works in the second week of
September:
· Fabrizio
Levita, who has Italian roots, but was born in Frankfurt. He is one of Hesse’s
most high-profile singers. Accompanied by his band, he will be performing his
own rendition of international hits such as “Mr. Saxobeat” and “Forbidden
Love”.
· Jazz
festivals dating back many years in Idstein and Bad Wildungen demonstrate the
fact that jazz has a special meaning in Hesse. The Contrast Trio, which
will be presented in cooperation with the Hessischer Rundfunk (Hessian
Broadcasting Corporation – hr) and the hr’s Bigband, will provide visitors with
a taste of Hessian jazz.
· On
Saturday evening, the German Pavilion is filled with a party atmosphere.
Germany’s most successful youth event brand BigCityBeats, which attracts
over 100,000 visitors to the World Club Dome in Frankfurt every year among
other things, is responsible for this.
· Etta
Streicher, a Hessian poet, actress and one of the first to enter the Frankfurt
poetry slam scene, is giving two performances. Like no other, she picks
language to pieces and uses it to create miniatures consisting of lyrics,
nonsense, double meanings and subtleties.
· Shorts
at Moonlight is one of the most popular open-air short-film festivals in Germany and
takes place every summer in different castles and parks in the Frankfurt
Rhine-Main area. The iconic cultural asset can be attended at the EXPO in Milan
for a short time, too.
· An
interactive gaming event will attract visitors with the Hessian winners of the
German Computer Game Award, Black Pants, an independent studio based in
Kassel. In Hesse, the gaming sector is an important economic factor in the
cultural and creative industry, and therefore simply has to feature at the EXPO
during Hesse Week.
· In
cooperation with the German Dance Association (ADTV), Hessian dance
teachers will give visitors an insight into Hessian dancing.
· Antagon is both a
modern-day theatre company and a seeker of forgotten theatre roots. With
performers from many different countries, the Hessian dance and theatre outfit
will captivate visitors at the EXPO with its multidimensional performances,
too.
· Artists
from Roncalli Arts School will continue to entertain visitors in the
open spaces, on the deck and in the queues at the German Pavilion as well
during Hesse Week. They will be supported by the German professional magician
Alexander Merk and the stand-up comedian Al Cappuccino.
Background information information on the German Pavilion at the 2015
World Exhibition in Milan
Large-scale,
universal world exhibitions are held every five years in rotation with smaller
expos. The World Expo in Milan follows Shanghai (2010), Aichi (2005) and
Hanover (2000). Expo 2015 showcases the theme “Feeding the planet, energy for
life”. It dispenses with prestigious monumental buildings, presenting itself
rather as a sustainable Agrofood Park. The German Pavilion “Fields of Ideas”
has the motto “Be active!”.
On behalf of the
Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, Messe Frankfurt has been
entrusted with the organisation and running of the German Pavilion at EXPO 2015
in Milan. The design, planning and realisation of the German Pavilion have been
taken on by the ARGE, a consortium made up of Milla & Partner (Stuttgart),
Schmidhuber (Munich) and Nüssli Deutschland (Roth near Nuremberg). Milla &
Partner is responsible for the content concept as well as the design of the
exhibition and media. Schmidhuber is responsible for the pavilion’s spatial
concept, its architecture and general planning and Nüssli for project
management and construction. The Expo site is being built close to the existing
Milan exhibition centre. Under the programme management of Wolfgang Weyand and
Mike P. Heisel Voss+Fischer is responsible for the cultural programme of the
German Pavilion.
The world exhibition
will remain open for six months – from 1 May to 31 October 2015. For more