Three well-known cultural institutions in Holstebro have joined Sygehusgrunden in a major partnership at the old boiler building.
In the middle of the old hospital grounds, you'll find a large concrete building where the boiler used to be that heated the whole hospital.
Today, the block sits empty, and all that is left are the raw materials of concrete, tiles, history, and lots of potential.
It is this potential that Holstebro now wants to unleash in a new collaboration between Sygehusgrunden, Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium, Holstebro Music School and the Danish Talent Academy.
"The hospital grounds will be turned into an attractive urban area that fits the DNA of the town. It's natural for us to continue building on the strengths Holstebro has within the cultural sector, using this to drive urban development. We'll create a unique pulse, where connections are made and our culture can evolve by joining diverse groups and institutions," says the Administrative Director of Sygehusgrunden, Thomas Leeberg.
Collaboration is the new black
Holstebro is known for its rich culture, so it's not exactly a new thing that the city's institutions create something together:
"One of our strengths in Holstebro is that we are good at co-creating and using each other's skills. When we combine the forces of music, theatre, talent development, and urban development, opportunities arise that we couldn't have created separately. Kedlen is a common space to experiment, mix disciplines, and open up for new communities. This is exactly how we approach the future of culture." Linda Kaul Steffensen, Deputy Director at Holstebro Music School.
We wish to use Kedlen to establish a venue that stands out and focuses on experimentation with new formats. A place that can be created by locals and for locals, with space to invite the rest of the world into a space where the sky is the limit:
"Kedlen is a very unique and flexible venue with space for many different ideas, and that is exactly what we want to make room for: The quirky ideas that explore and challenge the norm, those that don't necessarily fit into established environments just yet," says Per Kap Bech Jensen, Theatre Director at Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium.
A place made to evolve and develop
Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium will be in charge of the daily operation of Kedlen, and together with the other partners, they will explore how culture can contribute to urban development:
“Sygehusgrunden approached us with the hope of creating a foundation for the cultural pulse and life that will eventually take root in the area with the help of local cultural institutions, and we find that enormously exciting. Art and culture have a special ability to bring people together to foster community and cohesion. We hope that the project can help inspire the city to take part and help shape both culture and the city,” says Per Kap.
All ideas are welcome
As the Danish Talent Academy, Holstebro Music School and NTL join forces with Sygehusgrunden, the parties hope to bring together a broad section of the population to create a place with room for everyone, whether you're into jazz ballet or heavy metal.
“Kedlen gives our students a new cultural space to relax. At the same time, collaborating with other cultural institutions in Holstebro is a big priority for us. The collaboration is a great opportunity for our students to work interdisciplinarily, and it gives them a new source of inspiration,” adds Kim Harris, Deputy Director at the Danish Talent Academy.
Kedlen has already been used for several cultural events, most recently during the Holstebro Festival, where both installation art, music, and cabaret took place in the raw industrial building.
Friday, August 29th, Kedlen will be officially inaugurated. It will henceforth be open for events, both those presented by the project partners and, in the long term, others with good ideas:
"The plan is for NTL to coordinate activities at Kedlen 75% of the time, while the remaining 25% allows others to use the facilities", concludes Thomas Leerberg.
Contact
Ida Møller-Dam (communications, Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium)
ida@ntl.dk
+4523375409
