About Us
The international construction exhibition Emscher Park (IBA), which ended in 1999 after many years’ work, laid the foundations for further structural change. It discovered and preserved the industrial monuments – also for culture. Together with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia it inspired the creation of a decentralized art festival for the Ruhrgebiet, in order to reinforce the region’s enduring international standing as a cultural centre. The fascinating structures, saved from decay and exposed to an aesthetic awareness – former coal mines and steel works – seemed predestined for new forms of artistic encounters. Because the Ruhrtriennale’s productions are created out of the spaces where they are performed, with them and for them and this is what makes them unmistakable
This idea and its realization on the highest artistic level has been a sensation from the beginning: since its foundation in 2002 the Ruhrtriennale has established itself permanently as an exceptional European festival and cemented its reputation both regionally and internationally.
Experience these remarkable spaces and stages for yourself in one of Europe’s most exciting festivals!
The current Triennale cycle spans the years 2009 to 2011. At the heart of our overall theme of URMOMENTE (primal moments), which brings together numerous creative works, premieres, concerts, readings, film screenings and discussions, lies a question: how do spirituality and creativity come about, and what is the essential relationship between them?
In the powerful and inspiring performance spaces afforded by the industrial complex, our journey began in 2009 with a focus on Jewish culture, particularly with regard to the reasons and impetus for departure; in 2010 we concentrated on the theme of migration in Islamic culture; and in 2011, the idea of arrival in Buddhism will be addressed.
