So geht’s:
- Ort auswählen. (Infos zu den von uns vorgeschlagenen Orten gibt’s weiter unten. Ihr könnt natürlich auch an andere römische Orte gehen.)
- Zur gewünschten Zeit an den römischen Ort gehen :-). Mitternacht oder frühmorgens vielleicht?
- Anregungen für Deine Wachtzeit alleine gibt es hier.
- Wir haben für Euch auch Beobachtungen unter Anleitung und in einer Gruppe organisiert. Die findet Ihr hier.
- Deine Beobachtungen an info@vhs-aalen.de oder über Instagram #wachtzeit #vhsaalen senden (optional).
Infos zu den historischen Orten
Über uns
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The Creative Power of Historic Sites
As a writer, and a complete poetry addict, I was so excited to receive our first poetic contributions to the Wachtzeit project yesterday. Written by participants of facilitated Wachtzeit sessions in Aalen they take inspiration from our suggested sites in the city.
I was especially excited to see participants using the Pantoum, a form of poetry, Malay in origin. I’m absolutely fascinated by poetry forms, both traditional and modern. I find it wonderful how they travel across the world and enter into and diversify different cultures, literatures and language.
This is the essence of the Wachtzeit project; diversity and celebration of different approaches and interpretations. Inspired by the interactions between people in Aalen and the Roman heritage of the city we’re using international channels both physical and virtual to explore how people respond to historic environments today, and the ways in which these historic sites are linked, of course by history, but also by the people who visit them.
Creative writing is a wonderful activity to undertake and a site such as those which inspired the poems I received can do wonders for a writer’s imagination and inspiration. Being somewhere and staying for a while (as Wachtzeit asks you to do) may help you to engage with the environment in a deeper way. Using the senses to really be there, this will lead to more vivid and imaginative writing.
Our participants had the option to use prompts such as this:
What do I hear, what do I see, what do I feel when I stand in front of the gate of the Aalen cavalry fort…
Perhaps you could ask yourself something similar on your own Wachtzeit? Remember, it doesn’t matter where in the world you are. Spend an hour at a heritage site (ideally Roman, but if you don’t have any near you, just pick any heritage site or local landmark) – When you’re there just keep watch for your hour, engage with the environment in your own way. That may be through writing, it may be through art or it may be just sitting in silence.
However you spend your Wachtzeit be sure to share with us @vhsaalen and use the hashtag #wachtzeit…
Adam Ditchburn. Wachtzeit Worldwide.
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In Conversation with Lamia Fetzer
Wachtzeit Online Curator Adam Ditchburn chats with Lamia Fetzer. Lamia was part of the planning team for the Wachtzeit Project. Listen below. Also available via Apple Podcasts and other providers, search Adam and the Muses.
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Vielstimmigkeit und Third Space
Es geht in meinem heutigen Beitrag um Kulturelle Teilhabe, um das vielgerühmte Konzept des Dritten Ortes und um die Frage nach partizipativen …
Vielstimmigkeit und Third Space
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Mosaics in Miami
It can be tempting to think of Roman History as something confined to the ‘Old World’. Of course, geographically the Roman World was in Europe, Africa and Asia. It’s in these places you will find the remains of their civilization, for example the UNESCO World Heritage Site of The Limes, upon which the Wachtzeit project is based. However, the influence of classical civilizations including Rome, has spread across the world for centuries after their falls, and their presence continues, even today.
Look at Washington DC, the capital city of the United States of America, it is filled with architecture directly based on classical structures. For example, Union Station boasts a wealth of Roman inspired features including the arch on its main facade which was modelled on the Arch of Constantine.
The interior of the station, with its massive, vaulted spaces was inspired by spaces such as the Baths of Diocletian.
This influence of classical styles was not limited to the architecture of public buildings in the capital city, in fact one of the best examples is found in what was once a private home, belonging to, and renovated by fashion designer Gianni Versace.
Vadelmavene, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons The Villa Casa Casuarina in Miami, often known as the Versace Mansion, is a Mediterranean Revival style house, purchased by Versace in 1992. He was famously assassinated on the building’s steps in 1997.
The property is now a luxury hotel and, thanks to the preservation of many of Versace’s personal renovations, boasts some of the most spectacular classical inspired decorative features in the United States.
The most famous feature is the ‚Million Mosaic Pool‘ – a fabulous demonstration of the opulence for which the Versace brand is known. The logo of the fashion brand, the famous Medusa head, has a prominent place in a floor mosaic on the approach to the pool. This mosaic was made in Versace’s hometown of Calabria, Italy before being shipped to Miami in pieces and reassembled. Versace said the Medusa figure was based on an image on the floor of the ruins he and his siblings played in as children.
Vadelmavene, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Greco-Roman imagery did not only influence Versace’s building décor, it could also be seen on the catwalk. Gianni’s obsession with the ancient world has continues to influence Versace output today, under the stewardship of his sister Donatella. Intelligent use of classical imagery helped to establish Versace as a timeless brand, directly connected to the mysterious glamour of the ancient world. In the 1980s and 1990s Gianni acted as a link between the gods of the ancient world and the new gods of his time – celebrities. From Elton John to Princess Diana, stars and royalty flocked to wear Versace, and to be with Versace, many spending time in the fantastic rooms of his mansion.
You never left him without being stimulated about some aspect of fashion or art or life.
Elton JohnVersace was not alone in bringing the architectural and design inspiration from the classical world to 20th Century America. The Getty Villa in Malibu is another fine example of new-world preservation and interpretation of Ancient Greek and Roman art and architecture. Perhaps the most impressive feature is an exact replica of a shell and mosaic fountain from Pompeii.
Scotwriter21, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons The UCLA/Getty Master’s Program in Archaeological and Ethnographic Conservation is based here, along with many original artefacts. It should be noted this is not without controversy. As with many museums today, there are accusations of looting, and calls from both the Greek and Italian governments for repatriation of objects. The Getty Museum recently agreed to return a number of objects to Italy.
Of course the inspiration of the classical world is not exclusive to the wealthiest people. Search any home and garden retailer and you will find mass produced statues of Venus and co widely ranging in quality and cost.. Having these statues in our gardens is about more than adding a feature, there is a reason you’d choose it over, say, a gnome. Looking at a classical style sculpture has the power to connect us to a long-gone period of our human history. Thanks to the legacy of its art, architecture and mythology, the classical period continues to inspire artists, musicians, designers, poets and gardeners the world over, you may be surprised just how far away from the ‚Old-World‘ you can encounter the Ancient Greeks and Romans.
Have you been inspired by the classical world in your home or work? We’d love you to comment…
About this post
This post was produced by Adam Ditchburn. Adam is a freelance writer and cultural facilitator. He is currently curator of Wachtzeit Online. Find him on social media @adamandthemuses
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Wachtzeit on Wednesday
Wow! It’s been a great first week so far. This time last Wednesday Lamia Fetzer, a member of the Wachtzeit development team, kicked off the project with her ‚Limes Sharing‘ event in Aalen. Lamia shared memories and stories of the Limes in her homeland of Tunisia. She told of how when she moved to Germany and discovered the Limes here too, it was an instant connection with home.
At the event Lamia shared Tunisian olives, oils and bread with participants. I recorded an audio interview with Lamia in which she talks about the inspiration behind this event, this will be shared on our social media platforms in the coming days.
The next big moment for our first week was our InstaLive launch on Saturday. We hosted this from multiple locations of Roman Heritage in Germany, the UK and Tunisia. It was really wonderful to put into practice the theory of our project, that local heritage sites can connect people on an international level. As Dr Nicole Deufel put it ‚we connected across borders using Roman heritage as our bridge‘. The live event ran for around 45 minutes and is still available to watch on the VHS Aalen Instagram page.
Our InstaLive from Aalen, Cologne, Haidra and York Also on Saturday we launched the first of four social media challenges. „Visit a Roman Heritage site and share it with the world.“ So far we’ve had contributions from Germany, the UK and Spain. Make sure to take part in this challenge before the next one is announced on Saturday! You can share on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or TikTok using #wachtzeit –
There is more than one way to take part in Wachtzeit. For more information click on one of the following:
If you have any questions about the project just drop us an email info@vhs-aalen.de or contact us via social media @vhsaalen
That’s it for now! I will be back with another blog over the weekend, and another Wachtzeit on Wednesday next week.
Adam Ditchburn @adamandthemuses
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