Art project - Church asylum for houseplants during holidays
Church shelter differently: In a Bremerhaven church, potted plants find shelter during the summer holidays. "The idea is to pick up the concept of hospitality," says initiator and artist Sophia Binzer. "Anyone who wants to is welcome and should feel comfortable. Anyone who needs support will receive it."
36 plants adorn the Bürgermeister-Smidt-Gedächtniskirche until August. It is the first action of the Art Project "SPACE AS AN INVITATION TO STAY – about the use of spaces".
As part of her art grant from the Bremen Evangelical Church, Binzer is exploring the use of church space with the church: How should a church be designed and equipped to invite people to come and stay? How can church space be seen and thought of anew?
The 32-year-old finds it natural that the church space is sustainably redesigned. For example, a problem could be the many pew rows that are no longer used. The church in Bremerhaven has potential to be a cozy place. "It's such a beautiful, bright church."
Five church windows with Plants
As part of the action, Bremerhaven women and men are now designing the church for a while. They could hand in their plants at the end of June, Sophia Binzer decorated the five windows with pots. "It works really well. The plants create a moment of irritation when entering the church." Volunteers from the congregation water and care for the plants until mid-August, then vacationers can take them home.
In September, the art project will continue with a workshop for utopian space models, says the artist. In October, Bremerhaven women and men could explore the church rooms with a dancer. Finally, the Jewish band Folkadu from Berlin is scheduled to perform, who deal with space and sound. The project ends with an exhibition in the church in the spring.
- Sophia Binzer, who uses the church in Bremen as a hideout during her summer vacation, believes that the idea of turning the church into a plant hideout embodies hospitality.
- The Art Project "SPACE AS AN INVITATION TO STAY" has transformed the Bürgermeister-Smidt-Gedächtniskirche in Bremerhaven into a temporary hideout for 36 potted plants.
- The Art Project aims to explore the potential of Bremerhaven's churches as sustainable hideouts, challenging the traditional use of church space.
- The five church windows in Bremerhaven's church, now adorned with potted plants as part of the Art Project, create a compelling contrast between the sacred and the natural, inviting viewers to reconsider the environment of the church.
