| Traveling Summer Republic
Reisende Sommer-Republik
Utopia Revisited
Saturday, September 24th, 2011
Buses departed Washington, MO
... become a member of the Giessen Emigration Society, and experience their departure from Germany, voyage to the U.S., travel the frontier and settle in the Lake Creek valley. Tour will include visits to the sites of Gottfried Duden, Friedrich Muench, Paul Follenius and the Baron von Bock's Dutzow.
http://mo-germans.com
English summary
The Traveling Summer Republic (Reisende Sommer-Republik) is a long term culture & arts project about utopian thinking.
The foundation of the Republic is inspired by a true story: In 1834, 250 German emigrants were forced to spend five weeks on a small uninhabited river island, Harriersand, located in the Weser River between Bremen and Bremerhaven. After much trouble, the Giessen Emigration Society (Giessener Auswanderungsgesellschaft), as they called themselves, left the river island bound for America to create an ideal German republic in the state of Missouri. But their utopian project failed.
More information about the Giessen Emigration Society
In summer 2005 several professionals in the field of culture, arts, and sciences founded the visionary Traveling Summer Republic on the Harriersand island. For one weekend the "Island's Congress 2005 - a Trip to Utopian Ideas" was held with dozens of cultural events: open air cinema, performances, theatre, workshops, discussions, concerts, sailing ships - dealing with utopian ideas: What are our dreams and visions for a better and peaceful society today?
The Summer Republic’s philosophy: Utopian ideas can never succeed, but they are a driving force to bring you forward.
Regular public events:
Signalfeuer (Light Beacon) – round table discussions
Utopisches Flimmern (Utopian Flicker) – film screening series with discussions
Utopische Bibliothek (Utopian Library) – books about past and present of utopian thinking, including research materials about the Giessen Emigration Society. The Utopian Library is on display on various locations.
Special events (excerpt):
Inselkongress 2005 (Island’s Congress)
Grosse Giessener Flucht 2006 (The Big Giessen Escape)
Schiffskongress 2009 (Ship’s Congress)
Trip to a Forgotten Utopia 2010-2011
Why does an old pick-up truck at Lake Creek make four Germans euphoric? What does an old fachwerk house whisper to them? Why, in the midst of the deep woods would they discuss the aesthetics of a tombstone? It comes from the self-willed dynamics of Utopias – and it is linked with the City of Bremen. Welcome to an excursion of the original sites:
Members of the Traveling Summer Republic invite you to an evening walk with videos, photos and stories of their expedition to Missouri. In 2009 they were tracing the Giessen Emigration Society of 1834, and what became of their vision of a German Utopia – a model republic in the United States.
The artists will share their discoveries, found on their journey from Missouri to Bremen, with the audience. We will walk from downtown Bremen, to the Weser river, cross the Weser by ferry and on through the small lanes of weekend houses. We will come to a river café and enjoy an open-air cinema. In route we will taste wine from Missouri, discover freethinker writings and other 19th century belongings, we will encounter descendants, eccentrics, a son of a minister and a farmer. Listening to the sounds of rain, radios and riverboats, we will watch while they research and visit with a 100 year old historian. A movie about Utopian research – past and present, there and here.
Première date: September 4, 2010 in Bremen.
November 7, 2010
TRIP TO A FORGOTTEN UTOPIA
An Evening's Outing from Gröpelingen to Missouri - A Walk in Four Legs
5:30 p.m. - The Angry Man or: Why the early socialist Friedrich Ludwig Weidig decides to stay at home
4:15 p.m. - A Bear Hunt on Harriersand or: How the utopians take somebody for a ride.
5:00 p.m. - The Centennial or: How Europe saves America
5:45 p.m. - The Hermit or: How an Irishman saves the expedition from doom Download program here
The "Trip to a Forgotten Utopia" will continue with performances and exhibits. More information in German
Trailer video documentary “A Trip to a Forgotten Utopia”
Contact Germany: Peter Roloff
Contact Missouri, USA: Dorris Keeven-Franke |
