From June 19-22, seven participants met at the Kulturhaus Wilde Rose for the fifth AHI retreat. Based on the essay “Being and sharing: A Practice of Creative Existence” by Andreas Weber, we pursued the idea that we as individuals can only fully realize our aliveness when we experience our existence as a shared one. Following on from the last retreat on the topic of “connectedness”, we are taking the concept of the human being as a being in connection further and following Weber’s idea that we can only truly be in sharing. We put these thoughts into practice in text-, walking- and sitting-meditations, as well as in the free time we spent together. With lots of movement, dance, morning yoga sessions, as well as a gratitude meditation and a connectedness meditation, we approached the practice of meditation from different perspectives in order to give all participants an individual starting point. A highlight of the meeting was the hike in the Melle woods and to Diedrichsburg. The connection with nature gave us a clear sense that we are not a detached part of the world but are closely connected to it and that we can only exist because the forest, the meadows, the animals and we ourselves are willing to share.

Andreas Weber comments on this once again:

“Individuality is the expression of the life force that fills every being, and this life force, in order to come fully to itself, wants to come into contact with others, needs to be protected, sheltered, nourished by them, demands touch, tenderness, being held. Only in this way, in touch, are we able to become ourselves. We all long to be able to be. And only by sharing can we be.”

We would like to thank everyone who was there, the team from the Kulturhaus Wilde Rose for their hospitality, the amazing food and this wonderful place, as well as everyone who made these four days possible for us.

We would like to continue our AHI retreat in 2025 and therefore invite all interested people to our next retreat from June 19–22, 2025. We have once again been able to secure the Kulturhaus Wilde Rose in Melle as the venue and are looking forward to four intensive days. The retreat is dedicated to the topic of “Being and Sharing”, based on Andreas Weber’s essay “Sein und Teilen – Eine Praxis schöpferischer Existenz”. The essay provides us with inspiring thoughts and impulses that can be the starting point for reflecting and feeling about our own lives. Next year, however, the focus will again be on different forms of mediation, movement, music and being together. No previous experience is necessary.

The flyer (in German language) can be downloaded as PDF.

Spring Retreat: Mindfulness, Community and Self-Reflection

The Spring Retreat took place at the idyllic Wilde Rose cultural center in Melle from 18 to 21 May 2023. Nine participants experienced four days full of movement and mindfulness exercises, community activities, and healthy food. The retreat also enabled the participants to gain in-depth theoretical knowledge and practical experience of the concepts of relaxation and tension through the autonomic nervous system in connection with the function of the sympathetic and parasympathetic system. The close connection between theory and practice created an inspiring atmosphere in which the participants were able to explore their individual paths to inner balance.

Fall Conceptual Retreat: Relaxation and Planning

From September 22 to 24, 2023, the Fall Conceptual Retreat took place on the private yard of a dedicated supporter in Borgholzhausen. In a relaxed atmosphere, five participants took part in a rather internal event. The relaxed schedule allowed the participants to unwind and still discuss relevant topics in order to plan the AHI’s next steps. The retreat served as an important platform for creative ideas and the development of new projects.

Strategy Meeting: Development of a New Mission Statement

From November 17 to 19, 2023, the Strategy Meeting took place at the headquarters of the Academy and AHI administration in Vlotho. A new mission statement for the AHI was developed here, which will shape the future direction of the Institute. The participants contributed their diverse perspectives in order to jointly develop a clear vision for the coming years. The Strategy Meeting marked an important step in the further development of the AHI and laid the foundation for a promising future.

Outlook for 2024: Towards New Horizons of Connectedness

The new year is already waiting with new opportunities and exciting events. Of particular note is the next Retreat, which will once again take place at the inspiring Wilde Rose cultural center in Melle from May 30 to June 2, 2024. Under the thematic focus of connectedness, we invite all interested individuals to join us in delving deeper into the aspects of interpersonal relationships. The coming year therefore promises not only a continuation, but also an expansion of our journey together. We look forward to sharing these experiences with a growing community and to living and developing the values of the AHI together. Registrations can be submitted to retreat@a-h.institute.

We thank all participants, supporters and friends of the AHI for their dedicated participation.

Social transformation processes often take place invisibly and insidiously. Art and theater is one form of others of uncovering these and actively influencing them. Theater and performance always take place in context. Not only when it is performed, but also when it is rehearsed. Questions about the who, the how and the why are central to this. This means that theater work and the conception of theater pedagogical projects go hand in hand with a responsibility. The responsibility to ask questions about power relations and the conditions for the success of art and theater.

With the help of performative and interdisciplinary strategies, the group has engaged in an artistic research process that explores the relationship between the city of Osnabrück, the urban space, its locations and institutions and the arts and develops a project idea for Osnabrück in 2024. Where do transformation processes take place in Osnabrück? Who has the opportunity to influence them? Who benefits from them? What kind of art does a city need in order to allow everyone to participate? At the heart of the answers that emerged through practical, artistic collaboration is the question of the connection between content and form.

The group would like to continue working in the future, would like to combine their working methods with the content. They want to ask who is missing and expand – to remain fluid. Would like to create spaces of hospitality in order to work not only productively, but also with joy and in connection. The group understands that these wishes cannot be fulfilled in one weekend, that they require a longer collaboration.

We don’t just want to make art, we want to develop an ethos that is reflected in all our practices – artistic, aesthetic, everyday and extraordinary. We are writers, artists, actors, students, children, adults, partners, hosts, questioners and initiators. We have an impact on our environment, are connected and therefore have a responsibility.

The realization of the second part in cooperation with an Osnabrück institution from the field of art and culture is planned for 2024. The continuation of the collaboration works against the idea of temporary projects whose sustainability is short-lived.

That is why all that remains to be said here is: to be continued…

In cooperation with:

As the first event with the ostensible goal of exchanging content, not only were the discussions within the symposium of great value for the institute’s work, but the informal conversations were also extremely enriching, especially for the creative processes for finding new ideas and approaches. Not least for the strengthening of the interpersonal dynamics within the institute, the symposium was a full success.