Wellcome to

 - an Introduction

Playing Arts is an aesthetic self-educational project which unites creativity and living through play. It is a network of various people with different professions, that is to say life-occupations, who practise Playing Arts projects in their individual situation, support and encourage each other to share and further develop what has been created - regardless of its success or failure. This field was developed throughout years of work by the artistic director of this field Christoph Riemer as part of the programme of Cultural Education at Burckhardthaus in Gelnhausen, the central Protestant institute of further education for youth, cultural and social work. In the meantime hundreds of participants have taken part in the Playing Arts events, organized them themselves and carried out their own aesthetic-playing projects (see the projects archive on the website www.playing-arts.de).

Playing Arts begins with aesthetic-creative product(ion)s and understands these as a beginning or element of an expansion of an aesthetic-creative attitude towards the entire individual and social process of life. This can be understood as "art of living". Playing Arts creates a "field of impulse" which allows the individuals to unfold (aesthetically) into groups, within context to each other. There are no regulations as regards the pedagogy, content, taste or technique. Of value is what occupies the persons and the groups and which topics they want to realize, self-organized in their own interest. A framework is given which- structural in its organisation- opens such possibility of acting and makes refering to each other and mutual support possible.

Playing Arts distinguishes itself by the projects' diversity. These playing-intentions are above all characterized by the very own interest, the joy to risk something new.
To find a coherent idea - we call it ones own trace - there are inspiring fields of impulse from up-to-date art and culture projects which evoke the desire for ones own creative action. Like with cooking, you try an idea, different ingredients, a direction of taste, a "recipe" which then changes its possibilities to what is possible to that individual person. From this mostly derives an own trace, the "hot trail" which exerts an "erotic fascination" and which develops its own dynamic. Carried by ones own pleasure, by the wanting and being able to, by the passion to try new possibilities in dialogue with others, this leads to a commitment which is characteristic for Playing Arts. Other things step back, every day habits are being changed through the inner necessities of the intention.

Playing Arts and Contemporary Art

The term Playing Arts itself refers to the arts. It could be translated into "the play of art and the art of playing". Although the contemporary arts present an important field of impulse for Playing Arts, there is herewith no intention to turn participants into "artists".
Art itself wants to give impulses for the recipients and their lives. And these are consciously taken on in Playing Arts processes. This happens via the many topics and media and ways of working which are being taken up and used in the arts. Of importance are basic attitudes of contemporary art, which also push forward strategies of Playing Artists. In this way contemporary art shows a radically daring and risky readiness for the expression of (also difficult) contents and their version in precise and communicative forms. Art takes risks in taking up topics and in the presentation of these which with a precised language of forms (but occasionally with extreme means) tries to reach observers. Connected to this is, at least in some parts of the arts, a public self-examination and self-development of the subject. Such attitudes are encouragements for Playing Artists to dare their expression and to give it the personally appropriate form. In this sense contemporary art gives the "allowance" to with ones own view radically confront topics (of this person and of society, the world) and to also present it publicly. But also products of art always ask again and again to form such statements precisely, to give it a "good shape" appropriate to the statement. Therefore artistic productions pose demands of quality to the individual expression, also of Playing Artists. Art encourages to search communication with one's own positions, to show something of one's own, to go into the public and dare an exchange with others. Within this exchange the own is shared and enters a process of further development.

Playing Arts and Education

Playing Arts (PA) claims for itself the for the play characteristic "moment of freedom" (Scheuerl), which releases from externally fixed obligations and purposes. Inner purposes, which are fixed by the persons self-determination, can ideally be put into practise in Playing Arts. Playing Art projects can push forward the self-development, the self-understanding, the self-test of the subject in confrontation with oneself and the world. PA involves all the different kind of senses and experiences, all subjects and fields of life. Therefore PA allows an education which doesn't functionalize, but which reveals independent learning of the self and the world in its context. In this way PA creates alternatives to a purposed (school-like) education and to a educationalization of creativity and aesthetic self-expression, which otherwise often is marked by "measures of cultural education".
Such Playing Arts self-educational processes are not only open in their result - they are also characterized by their "ups and downs", which are not simply "light" (what play and creative expression are often mistaken for), but are existential and find themselves on the border of the possible and generally accepted. "Am i allowed to do this?", "Am i crazy if i do this?" are often asked questions when participants try to develop the own. The intentions end when the participants have, for themselves and the others, brought it to a certain point which they define themselves.

When the experience "to be moved by play" has been made through a project, much changes for the participants/initiators. The experience of the unexpected own and common possibilities strengthens the consciousness and the self-esteem. The persons involved dare, with a mind of their own, to confront their surroundings which may be opposite to them. They notice "where their heart beats" - what they are able to do, that is to say able to learn if they follow their "erotic trace". What undreamt-of possibilities live inside themselves and others. The conventions of the usual and the expected begin moving, enter the play and become less important. Often not only the situation of life changes, but the entire attitude towards life. And if there doesn't "happen" play from time to time, one gets "so cold" (as one of the participants put it lately). To realize Playing Arts plans is truly satisfying - other seem-to-be satisfactions become irrelevant (like consumption, smooth TV entertainment, small talk at social events etc.). The play of one's own life-movement and its social links take their place. Often the unloved profession changes. The more one decides for the commitment of the "own trace" a harmonizing form of life-occupations, which don't only find "sense" in waged work and consumption, is found. Like on its own accord Playing Artists are more and more developing competences, like getting familiar with new media, the organization of resources, forms of presentation, networking etc. This attitude has a positive effect on others - as oppose to a life like "slowed down foam" a life full of energy, joy and commitment is created.

Playing Arts and Association of the Various

As Playing Arts follows the principle of self-determination, there are therefore very differentiating projects and ways of working by individuals and groups. Next to the broad scale of the worked on subjects many different ways of working are being involved, like e.g. electronic media (video, digital photography, internet), painting, sculpture, performance, literature, theatre, dance, collage, social action, textile art etc. Furthermore the persons and groups work under different conditions and with differentiating intensity. A problem - existing in the entire society - arises: when exists a high "individualization and pluralization" , the context of supporting, showing solidarity with each other becomes more difficult. How then a mutual platform of the various, an experience of solidarity can be established? How can the various avoid individualization and associate?
For this purpose Playing Arts creates different forms of association, e.g. mutual working meetings, symposiums, the Playing Arts Award (the participants decide on the winners), a newsletter, books and essays in which the own positions are described, CD-ROMs presenting projects, a website and discussion platforms, public exhibition and presentation of results.
At the Playing Arts symposium not only the playing intentions are presented, discussed and further developed - there is also the Playing Art Award. In the categories: the own play, the play with others and the greatly risked play regional plans are being handed in. The nominated themselves form the jury. They develop characteristics of quality and decide on the winning projects among themselves. The Playing Arts website is furthermore an important medium of networking, to connect, give ideas, to exchange and more. Studios, long-term groups, mentor trainings, thematic work shops are taking place centrally in the Burckhardthaus in Gelnhausen, but also regional and abroad. Playing Arts especially pays attention that these events not too strongly establish a single identity. The togetherness develops above all through the discursive context to each other, through a mutual expecting and allowing of differences, through a supporting, but also clearing and challenging debate.rojektbeschreibung