What concrete results do you intend to achieve with the project? What is the value of the project for the region and the people living there?

We want to create a space for cultural and public events to make the local municipalities artistic and organizational. Technical tools will be provided for the benefit of all types of local communities with tools and places to actively participate in the organization, to organize and promote the organization of cultural events. It is not intended for the sole purpose of promotion of consumption of culture, but also to engage the community to contribute to it.

The project organizes a basic requirement of events and promotes, promotes and trains self-initiatives.

The Hackerspace is a space that offers the necessary tools of video production, audio processing, 3D printing and AutoCAD tools for every artist interested. Also, produced art or event is advertised in local and regional municipalities to support local artists.

Members of local communities can enjoy both the cultural program that the project offers, as well as discover art for themselves.

Presentation of the initial situation in your region / municipality, brief description of the cultural landscape as well as the challenges and needs.

In Heiligengrabe and the surrounding areas, there are very few cultural institutions, little cultural support for the youth, little international cultural tourism and very little theater or theater groups.

There are relatively many visual artists in the region but few exhibition venues. But in the adjoining building of Kuckucksmühle, a centuries-old, protected water mill from the 16th century, we will create a place that will fill this vacuum.

Kuckucksmühle is in the process of establishing an association to conserve the listed building, an ecological, open, self-sustaining community has already been founded, and the members want to use and develop modern, open technologies.

In the adjoining building, this project is now a house in which we want to create a hackerspace for filmmakers, writers, actors and artists. Not only can we use the networks of the aforementioned association, the Kuckucksühle is already a well-known place for events over the last decades and even the older people of the towns still gladly remember these times.

Therefore, this project not only closes a cultural gap in the region, it is also one of the best places to bring culture back to life.

In 2017 the land and the use of buildings are rented for 2018 (2018-2020 each: 2000 €). These include: a house that needs to be restored and has a 1000 m² area as well as a bakery, a wine cellar, a room, a bathroom, a kitchen to offer concerts and events before and during the restoration. The planning of the restoration of the house is also started. In 2018, the restoration of the house will start for the project, which will be completed in the second year (2018: 55,000 € (Inv.) + 5000 €, 2017: 15,000 € (Inv.), 7000 €).

During the build-up phase, the context for building the hackerspace is published and its intention clearly communicated and requested voluntary cooperation and assistance. In addition, presence is shown at local events and is promoted for our project and the establishment of a voluntary organizational structure strongly supported. The networking with artists from the region will also be greatly expanded and invited to exhibit at the project house and at events and to use our tools.

In the adjoining building, the Kuckucksmühle e. V. whose members are already very well connected within the region will support both the establishment of the voluntary organizational structure and the promotion of the events.

At the end of the restoration, we will have an inauguration event to open the building and the program will be planned and promoted for the next periods; Equally appropriate for use for theater groups, visual artists and self-organization-like public events. The premises are equipped with 3D printers, stage equipment, computer for video processing (4000 €). After further determination of the needs in the application case, further equipment will be purchased in 2020 for 1,500 €.

After the publication, at least two public events are offered and organized per month. The theater will be constantly available for rehearsals, (forming) artists, authors and filmmakers by appointment. It will be open to local communities to organize their own events.

The members of the voluntary organizational structure including applicants are responsible for:

• To organize the restoration of the building
• To organize the events financially so that all costs are covered
• To integrate the local municipalities so that they can organize them themselves
• Advertising for artists of all kinds
• Development of theater groups and artists' associations
• An open space for a constant exhibition preferred by local artists
• Documentation of all processes leading to the creation of similar projects

An infrastructure is set up with this project, which encourages the local municipalities to become active co-authors in organizing and maintaining events in which the following steps are taken:

• Establishment of a network of interested local groups using local tables, local meetings and events
• Building an infrastructure that is independent and provides written processes that allow everyone to organize events themselves that fall within the framework of the project
• Assistance in the organization and advertising of the events
• Establishment of an annual calendar with sufficient flexibility to integrate further local community events

All amounts quoted are in Euro.

The application took about 30 hours to put together, the final result is an unpolished rushed version in order to make the deadline. A good estimate for a well polished application would be around 50 hours. Add more time if German is not your first language and there is little experience in putting together applications.

Post the application well in advance of the deadline.