AlfterDE
Alfter is made up of 11 smaller villages, one of which is called Alfter - or "Alefte" in the local dialect Kölsch. It is a bike ride away from the former West German capital Bonn, and lies within the Rhine valley and on the southern ridge of the "Vorgebirge".
The total area of Alfter is 35 km², of which 18 km² is used for agricultural purposes and 8 km² is forest. The soil is classified as very high quality for agricultural use.
Alfter is also the home of the Alanus University of Art and Social Sciences. The university has two sites – one at Johannishof, a former farm on a hill above the village, and Campus II which sits on the rich soil in the Rhine valley.
| Region | North Rhine-Westphalia |
|---|---|
| Local partners |
|
| Population | 22800 |
| Tradition | Market gardens |
| Scent | Clive |
The wish from nonkrong 03 at Wohnzimmer Alfter was to meet on a field next time, to talk art and village. The family-owned organic farm Mandt in Alfter kindly offered us our space and we met in glorious late afternoon spring sunshine to again ask ourselves: "how to talk with my village?".
This time we had many more guests who have lived in Alfter for a long time, and the top tip was simply: go to where everyone else is going, and don't just expect people to come to you. Join the village committee and propose your idea as part of what is happening, not as extra or other.
One of the Seminars for Master students addresses the intersection between art - economy - rural and we spend four days "digging where we stand", which means getting to know famers and land based businesses in our immediate neighbourhood of the campus. Drawing is a main language we use to see, understand, map and reorganise.
This time the amazing Alina Gombert presented parts of her research on Feminist Agriculture, Queering the Rural, Inheritance Laws and Collective Land Stewardship.
An evening co-organised with Wohnzimmer Alfter with the leading question "How to talk to your village?" The get together was to exchange knowledge and ideas for how to propose and start arts and cultural projects in the rural communities we are part of - however long we have been there.
| Region | North Rhine-Westphalia |
|---|---|
| Local partners |
|
| Population | 22800 |
| Tradition | Market gardens |
| Scent | Clive |