Forum Europe Ruhr – Culture 360°

Invited by the International Visitors Programme, a group of journalists from Belgium, Greece and Turkey travelled to North Rhine-Westphalia from 5 to 9 September for the Forum Europe Ruhr.

The Forum Europe Ruhr is the new platform for actors and organisations from culture and politics, business and science. The Forum Europe Ruhr evolved from the Forum d'Avignon Ruhr, which was held annually in Essen from 2012 to 2016 on the basis of a Franco-German partnership. The aim of the one-day conference is to initiate dialogue and cooperation on topics of shaping the future in the field of culture and cultural policy and to build and consolidate bridges between Europe and the Ruhr region. As a European platform and experimental laboratory for culture and cultural policy, Forum Europe Ruhr will continue to connect different cultural expressions in order to learn from each other in European exchange.

In addition to participating in Forum Europe Ruhr, the guests visited other institutions relevant to the topic, including the Unperfekthaus in Essen and the Halfmannshof artists' settlement in Gelsenkirchen. In the Kreativ.Quartier Gelsenkirchen-Ückendorf, the guests gained an in-depth insight into urban planning aspects and the creative business scene of the city. The programme also included a meeting with Elgin Wolf from Urbanen Künsten Ruhr on the occasion of the exhibition "Truck Tracks Ruhr - The Compilation" at Zeche Zollverein.