"Chapeau!" - Artists take their hats off

Teresa Stelzer

Bowler hat, fedora, magic hat, tricorn hat or sombrero: the range of street art is as diverse as the hat shapes themselves. The entire spectrum of street art will be presented this weekend in Chemnitz. The first Hat Festival will take place and transform the city centre into a large open-air stage. Teresa Stelzer (31) from Chemnitz is not only part of the organising team, but is also active in the street art scene herself with her pantomime character Fräulein panTo.c. In our Makers of the Week interview, she introduces us to the new hat festival and gives us an insight into public art.

Why hats and not trousers?
Teresa Stelzer: From the point of view of the Chemnitz event centres, it's about the gesture "Chapeau!", we want to take our hats off to Chemnitz as a city, which is also celebrating its 875th birthday this year. Even clearer to me is the connection with the street artist who collects his hat money from passers-by at the end of a performance. Whether as recognition or to earn a living, the hat is a recognisable feature of street art and also an accessory that can be played with in an incredible variety of ways.

What can visitors expect during the festival weekend?
There will be 13 stage locations, more like action areas, because we deliberately wanted to do without large structures and many artists don't want a lot of technology. Of course, there are certain focal points. We have named the stages after hats, for example the Magic Hat on the rampart, where plays for children are performed. At the Cowboy Hat (Rosenhof entrance), visitors can try their hand at circus making. The Porkpie hat stands for the music stage on Jakobikirchplatz, where singer-songwriters and bands perform. There is a lot going on at the same time, so the artists will perform their programme several times over the days. This means that no visitor has to worry about missing out and can take a relaxed stroll through the city centre. We hope for a colourful get-together and hustle and bustle.

Singer-songwriters, unplugged bands, walk acts, stilt walkers, magicians, barrel organ players, storytellers, fire juggling, theatre plays, acrobatics, clowning: the Hat Festival offers a wide range of arts, which will take place from 25 to 27 May between the Rosenhof and the city centre. From 25 to 27 May, between Rosenhof, Bürgerhaus am Wall and Galeria Kaufhof, a wide range of culinary delights will be on offer, including street food. The Hat Festival will also be rounded off by the Market of Beautiful Things. Handicrafts and design in the form of clothing, ceramics and decorations will be on display. To honour the name of the festival, there will also be a hat maker's stand at the design market to draw attention to the rare craft of hat making. Art, food and design invite you to stroll through Chemnitz city centre. Similar to the Park Summer, the Hat Festival will not charge admission, but will be financed by a voluntary financial contribution from guests and sponsors. In the spirit of the festival, hats will be available to throw something into. As a thank you, there will be hat bands worth €5 or a fun button for €2.

Should the hat festival be a one-off event or something for the long term?
The effort that everyone involved has made so far to create the festival structures would justify continuing it. And if it goes down well, why not? I would at least hope that it doesn't remain a flash in the pan.
Street festivals like this have more of a tradition in the old federal states. I would be delighted if Chemnitz were to set such a colourful example for the region between the ViaThea in Görlitz and Rudolstadt. But whether there will be a second edition will of course only be decided when we can look back on the first one. And for now, I'm hoping for three great days.

Is everything that takes place artistically on the street street art?
That's difficult to answer. In everyday life, street art and survival art are probably closer together than at a designated festival. If I take the motive of expressing oneself or something, I can think of a few characteristics that the street demands: the performances are usually rather small from a technical point of view and in terms of props, and often involve non-verbal actions. Being mobile is an advantage, as it often depends on where you are allowed to stay and for how long. Not every city is equally tolerant. A lot happens by chance in street art. You never know who will walk past you, whether someone will stop and if so, who it is and how it will be received. I find this "grape principle" exciting, suddenly a large audience forms just because people stop because others have stopped. The street is a good place to test whether a show or an idea is well received and what can be changed, because the audience decides immediately and is not tied to one place, like in a theatre, for example. Street art is therefore pure or very direct.

You speak from your own experience, because you are a mime artist. How did you get into it?
As a teenager, I took part in a choir that had other activities besides singing, such as dance and theatre. And they were looking for people to join them in pantomime. Many workshops followed and I then tried to set up my own groups in Chemnitz. One of them was called panTo.c. When this also disbanded, I continued solo and took over the name. Now the character Fräulein panTo.c has been with me since 2007. My favourite thing to do with her is walkacts, where I address people directly and ask them to interact with me.

Are you performing at the Hat Festival yourself?
No, I did get in touch last summer about performing at the Hutfestival. But then it became clear that they were still looking for someone to organise it. And I thought, why not explore the other side? What's more, street art was still new territory for the organisers - that's how I came to be involved in the organisation and am now also responsible for looking after the artists.

Chemnitz is applying to be European Capital of Culture 2025. What do you want for the city by then?
I think the application is kind of funny. If it actually works out, it would be almost surreal for me. I'm not really a local patriot, but Chemnitz has certainly left its mark on me, especially when it comes to making something out of very little, a kind of compulsion to take the initiative.
I would like the city to be more relaxed and uncluttered. I can only speak for the cultural scene, which is not huge compared to other cities. It seems to me from time to time that as soon as someone has a small idea, everyone immediately looks at it and a certain expectation arises. More parallel, less loaded with meaning, such a creative and opaque sea, and sustainable, that would be nice. Perhaps the application phase for the Capital of Culture is the actual goal. Something is already happening in some places. And I know from some people who have recently moved back to Chemnitz that it must feel really good, because a lot has already happened.