Bread, wine and stories: Discover Room for Cracks” in Cologne!

Bread, wine and stories: Discover Room for Cracks” in Cologne!

On Wednesday, September 17th, the Melanchthon Academy in Cologne starts with the special event “Bread & Book & Inner Courtyard”. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the courtyards of the Evangelical Church building at Kartäusergasse 9-11 will be a place for exchange and encounters. Under the semester theme “Space for Cracks,” the Academy invites you to use words to create spaces that tell stories of cracks and their traces.

This event aims to explore the tension between sound, resonance and the participants' surroundings. A presentation of selected books is planned, followed by stimulating discussions over a glass of bread and wine. Participation in this special evening event is free of charge, but registration is requested.

A new look at the imperfect

Lea Braun, the study director, will talk about cracks, imperfection and vulnerability in her lecture, incorporating inspiration from Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repair. Church Cologne reports that the semester deals with biographical and social rifts and aims to discover the multidimensionality of these rifts. This creates a space for pain, beauty, comfort and hope.

Kintsugi, which is related to the concept of wabi-sabi, recognizes the beauty in imperfection, like Melanchthon blog explained. This technique shows that breaks can be highlighted with gold, making what has been repaired not only useful but also historically valuable. Another related concept is the Mono no Aware, which values ​​the transience of things and develops a sensitivity to the present moment.

Workshops and the meeting day

In conjunction with the semester opening, a workshop entitled “Anteroom for Cracks” will take place on Tuesday, September 10th. From 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., participants can creatively address personal and social issues such as social inequality, climate crisis and isolation. How Melanchthon blog More broadly, there will be opportunities for creative work, be it through writing, performance or art. The works created in this workshop will finally be exhibited on Saturday, September 27th in the “Room for Cracks”.

This day, which also takes place on September 27th from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., provides space for meetings and activities that include art, culture, theater, prayer and readings. Entry is by donation. This gives the concept of cracks and their meaning in our lives an even deeper dimension.

The events provide a great opportunity to reflect on life, fractures and the beauty in vulnerability, while promoting community and exchange. The Melanchthon Academy is pleased to share these spatial and linguistic explorations with anyone interested.

For more information and to register, visit the academy's website: www.melanchthon-akademie.de.