Everyone knows the TIETZ

Volker Beyer

Volker Beyer was born in Karl-Marx-Stadt and grew up in the red mud around the fresh blocks of the Fritz Heckert area. As a teenager, he was the youngest gymnast in the national league. After several injuries, he channelled his sporting ambition and striving for the future into his companies. Today, he is a three-time entrepreneur in Chemnitz and the largest tenant on the ground floor of the TIETZ with his businesses. In the Coffee Art Bar, his latest project, we spoke to him about creative ideas, what makes the TIETZ special and the people of Chemnitz.

You went to sports high school, where you were successful in gymnastics. Later you discovered your passion for snowboarding. With all your sporting ambitions, how did you get into photography and the desire for such a broad-based self-employment in Chemnitz?
Volker Beyer : I started taking photos as a hobby at the age of 15. Not with a lot of technology. I just enjoyed it and it always resulted in something good. My creative streak has always been there alongside sport. However, my parents wanted me to go in a commercial direction. So I decided to do an apprenticeship as an industrial clerk. I quickly realised that that wasn't what I wanted to do for thirty or forty years. Sitting at a desk and doing the same thing day in, day out was terrible for me, but it was still fundamental and a very important time. After my apprenticeship, I slipped into the photography industry by chance.
My first employer was Baby Smile. I wasn't employed there as a photographer, but worked in controlling. Nevertheless, I was able to get a taste of all areas. I was once in the studio, but I also worked with photo software. That was a lot of fun. Every day was different. After Baby Smile, I worked in another photo company and was able to continue my training. I really enjoyed it all, but I still couldn't really fulfil myself in the jobs. I had to do something of my own. So I took a look at the market. At the time, I realised that the city centre lacked a modern, upbeat and contemporary photographer. I wanted a proper location in order to be successful. After more than eleven years on the market, DigiArt almost runs itself thanks to my super employees. I hardly have to be there any more. This frees up my mind for other projects, which is great. It doesn't make life any easier, but it does make it more interesting.

Speaking of location. In 2004, you actually started DigiArt at the TIETZ in the centre of the city. How did you experience the conversion of the former TIETZ department stores' into a cultural and educational centre?
Very actively, at least as far as the lower floors were concerned. I inspected all the rooms in the shell because we had negotiated the contracts with GGG at the time. I was extremely enthusiastic about the atriums and the integrated petrified forest. I actually found the building even more interesting than before, although the old department stores' from GDR times already had its charm.
In addition to DigiArt, you took over the news centre in the TIETZ and opened the Coffe-Art-Bar in the TIETZ right next to the Atomino. Three different shops, one location. What is special about the TIETZ?
The building was already very well known at the time and I had grown to love it anyway. I was happy that a building had been created in Chemnitz where I fitted in well with my idea. The house is extremely important to me. No matter which Chemnitz resident you ask over the age of 40, everyone knows the TIETZ. They all grew up with the building. Many were even here every week. Although the new use with the Petrified Forest and the small shopping centre on the ground floor and the gallery and facilities on the upper floors is extremely cool, it's currently a bit neglected. I think that's a bit of a shame. What's more, the information counter on the ground floor was cancelled for a while due to cost-cutting measures. Now I'm happy about the good cooperation with GGG. In discussions with the tenants in the TIETZ, we have developed concepts for the conversion of the ground floor. The news centre is the result. Initially, there was no one who could realise the idea and be confident enough to run an indoor restaurant without an outdoor area on the ground floor of the TIETZ. I then decided without further ado: "Ok, here we go. We'll do it." Not because I want to make money from it, but simply so that the building works better. The news centre is now getting better and better. We get a lot of positive feedback. Older people in particular say that the Newscentre is nice and that they feel comfortable. The stage on the ground floor is also being used more and more. Of course, it takes time to create more flair in the building. But I'm very optimistic about that.

Your last project was CAB, the Coffee Art Bar. The name suggests that you want to combine coffee and bar culture with art. What exactly is the idea behind it?
That's right. With the Coffee-Art-Bar, I wanted to create a place in Chemnitz that is different from the more classic "chic" cafés. The Coffee Art Bar is cosmopolitan and should be a meeting place for different cultures and young people. A café or bar with creative-industrial charm was still completely missing in Chemnitz city centre. Then I went on holiday. I was bored there. So I started to develop a new concept. The idea was to create a space that invites people to linger. At the same time, creativity should reign there. We constantly show art exhibitions, which change every quarter. In this way, we want to give young artists from Chemnitz and the surrounding area in particular the opportunity to present their work free of charge without immediately seeing the commercial background. Of course we all have to earn money, but without art, without culture, life remains grey and dull. We have a very good basis with many high-quality museums and facilities. The Coffee Art Bar should become a simple, colourful meeting place for every generation. Here you can enjoy a good coffee paired with an interesting exhibition and when it's too late for a coffee, you can enjoy a nice beer or a cocktail. "Coffee" during the day, accompanied by "Art" and the "Bar" in the evening - abbreviated to CAB.

21 May 2016 is Museum Night. The TIETZ is the central meeting point and centre of attraction on this evening. What are your plans for the Night of Nights?
On the Night of Nights, we are working together with the Thomas Cook travel agency in the field of photography, i.e. with DigiArt, and presenting a photo box. In the photo box, we set up a scenario where visitors to the hotel can take a Caribbean photo greeting and send it home from the TIETZ. In the news centre we provide our guests with drinks, from good wine to a cool beer and non-alcoholic drinks. In the Coffee Art Bar, we always have a great programme on offer at the weekend. We will be showing a photo exhibition on Museum Night. From 11pm, DJane Sheatle will be playing electronic sounds from the 80s, Italo pop and synth sounds. This means that the museum night doesn't end at 1am. It goes on until 5am.

Around 3000 people flock to the TIETZ every day. You meet very different types in the DigiArt studio, in the news centre and in the bar. What are TIETZ visitors like?
Very different! That's typical for Chemnitz. You can tell how people have grown up and you can sense major differences. We still don't have enough customers in the TIETZ who are aware of the centre. Many come in and go up to the first, second or third floor, depending on where they need to go. They do what they need to do there and then they're out again. Enjoying, lingering and slowing down hasn't really arrived in people's minds here in Chemnitz yet. Sometimes I also sense bitterness. I often miss a please and a thank you and wish that people would just relax. Actually, my heart bleeds and I think: why don't you relax? People should enjoy life, not dig a sandwich out of their rucksack during their lunch break. Go out and get a cool bagel or eat some soup! There are so many cool places here in the city centre. You don't use them enough! Then there's always the excuse that everything costs too much money. But nothing actually costs money in Chemnitz. Chemnitz is so relaxed. Where else in the world, a lunch for 20 euros is normal. Here you pay five euros, probably with coffee. You still have to teach the people of Chemnitz to take their time and enjoy life. But it's getting better!

Do you have to encourage the people of Chemnitz?
I don't believe the people of Chemnitz per se, because they know that a lot is possible in Chemnitz and that you can develop freely. That is no longer the case in other cities. The city and the authorities are now also opening up and acting more flexibly. We should rather encourage those who are not from Chemnitz. Unfortunately, I still hear that our city is in a bad position, even though it's not bad at all. And yet there are many people who have been to Chemnitz, heard bad things and then thought the city was really cool. We'd better publicise that.