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The ROOTS & ROUTES Experience 2025

14. – 31. Juli 2025

During an intensive residency, 27 young artists from Cologne, Florence, Istanbul, Ljubljana, Marseille, and Lille collaborated to develop a powerful, multidisciplinary stage play. Under the artistic direction of Sophie Laffont (Marseille), they created a poetic and political exploration of memory, forgetting, and the power of storytelling.

Photo © Nora Schwarz 

A popular myth says that goldfish have a memory span of 3 seconds. In fact, it is more like 5 months.

Eighty years lie between 1945 and “Project 2025.” What do we remember, what do we forget? Are societies that forget their past doomed to repeat their mistakes? What power does storytelling have? Who decides what is remembered and what is forgotten?
The result: a performance combining dance, theater, music, media art, and spoken word—personal, moving, and thought-provoking.

The performances on July 29 and 30, 2025, at the Alte Feuerwache were a resounding success. The piece captivated audiences with its intense, multifaceted exploration of memory on an individual, collective, and societal level. Sensitive topics such as dealing with real conflicts in art and the responsibility of artistic freedom were also impressively addressed.

As is so often the case with RRXP projects, the artistic result was only part of what really mattered: the focus was on spending time together, being together, and exchanging ideas. International friendships were formed, intense moments were shared, and a strong sense of connection was created. The farewell after the final performance was correspondingly emotional.

A big thank you goes to all the artists involved for their courage, openness, and energy—as well as to the partner organizations from Florence, Istanbul, Lille, Marseille, and Ljubljana. We are particularly pleased about the first-time participation of City of Women / Mesto žensk from Ljubljana in this project.

A complete recording of the show and a film insight into the project period will follow shortly. Until then, you can view photos in our gallery!

Videos

RRXP News

Statements from participants

Funding

#RRXP25 is a project by RRCGN, funded by the EU Erasmus+ Youth program, the Children and Youth Support Plan of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the City of Cologne. International project partners are: Empreinte Lille/France, City of Women (Mesto žensk) Ljubljana/Slovenia, Centro Creazione Cultura Florence/Italy, and Blues Dernegi Istanbul/Turkey.