Literature and Music Festival “Wege durch das Land” (Paths through the country)

The novella “Die Fliegengöttin” (The Fly Goddess) tells of the unconditional love of a married couple who have grown old. As part of “Wege durch das Land” (Paths through the country), author Hansjörg Schertenleib read from his novel on 18 May 2019. Thanks to the power of literature, the audience experienced impressively what it means to care for a person with dementia. The suffering of Willem, the caring husband, is described particularly in a frightening and accurate way. If he will make it, despite many doubts, remains open. Hörmann sponsored this event.

The composer Helmut Oehring and his autobiography “Mit anderen Augen: Vom Kind gehörloser Eltern zum Komponisten” (With a different set of eyes: from a child of deaf parents to a composer) were the focus of the literature and music festival “Wege durch das Land” (Paths through the country) on 15 July 2017. At Gut Böckel (Böckel Manor), Helmut Oehring read from his book published in 2013 and provided the gathered audience with unique experiences of diverse sound and comprehensive gestures at the “concert reading”. Hörmann sponsored the event, which made many a visitor see the problems of everyday life “with a different set of eyes”. 

The novel “Pfaueninsel” (Peacock Island) is about the castle maiden Maria, who is of small stature and serves as a leisure companion for the Prussian court. In truth, however, she is their secretly desired opposite. Author Thomas Hettche read from his touching work on 24 June 2018. The musical part was accompanied by the Israeli harpist Sivan Magen with an instrument that represents both fragility and strength. Hörmann sponsored the event as part of the sponsorship focus “Information about illness and disability”. 

The literature and music festival “Wege durch das Land” (Paths through the country) presented the play “Schwestern” (Sisters), which Hörmann sponsored as an important contribution to the current debate on inclusion. The two protagonists of the theatre project, Angela Winkler and her daughter Nele, discuss the significance of the play for dealing with disabilities. 

The American composer John Cage used his art to explore the boundaries of the visible and audible and thus to give recognition to everything – even what is most inconspicuous and often overheard. For Cage, music was not only what is played from the music sheet, but rather the sound of it. As part of the literature and music festival “Wege durch das Land” (Paths through the country), Wulf Herzogenrath, former director of the Kunsthalle Bremen (Bremen Art Gallery) and current director of the Fine Arts Section of the Academy of the Arts, read aphorisms and short texts by John Cage. Hörmann sponsored the event.

For the author Joumana Haddad, Lilith is a young woman who defies all expectations from a society with different ethnicities and faiths and wants to get to know and assert herself with all her contradictions. The performance was performed on stage by the actresses of the inclusive theatre RambaZamba from Berlin. In the interview, director Gisela Höhne talks about the work of her theatre. Hörmann sponsored the play, along with many other inclusive events.

Jan Peter Tripp is a painter as well as a graphic designer and is regarded as an important representative of Realism. He has regular exhibitions in galleries and institutions both at home and internationally. He also attended the cultural festival “Wege durch das Land” (Paths through the country). The exhibition in the garden house of Kulturgut Haus Nottbeck (Nottbeck Manor Cultural Estate) in the district of Warendorf was sponsored by the Hörmann Group. 

The British drummer and composer Dame Evelyn Glennie gave a very special concert in Rietberg in 2008, as she is considered to be severely hearing impaired. She perceives sounds and music mainly through vibrations. This made the performance by the Scottish-born composer all the more fascinating for the audience. Dame Glennie is convinced that sound perception is not only a matter of the ears, but also of the body. The visitors of the event had the opportunity to experience this for themselves. 

On 8 July 2007, actress Senta Berger read short prose and poems by Robert Walser, one of the most enigmatic writers of his time, who spent more than 20 years in a psychiatric institution, at the Zionskirche of the Bodelschwingh Foundation Bethel near Bielefeld. Hörmann assumed patronage for this event.

Time and again, people with disabilities contribute to the “Wege durch das Land” (Paths through the country) literature festival. On 9 July 2006, Angela Winkler and her daughter Nele, who suffers from Down syndrome, read the famous fairy tales by the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. The event was held at Vörden Castle in Marienmünster. Ulrike Arzet provided the musical background. Hörmann assumed patronage for this event.

The theme of the evening with actress Leslie Malton and pianist Marc-André Hamelin was “Information about illness and disability”. Leslie Malton, known from films and television, came with her handicapped sister Marion, who was the subject of a photo exhibition at the Hörmann Forum, Hörmann's training and exhibition centre in Steinhagen. It documented the special nature of the lifelong sibling relationship. During her reading, Leslie Malton also demonstrated verbally how intimate her relationship with Marion is. Marc-André Hamelin provided the musical background for this moving event in the production halls of Hörmann KG Amshausen, which is located near the Hörmann Forum.