The Ocean Starts... in Frankfurt!
BLUE LAB
29.07. - 02.08.2026
BLUE LAB PROGRAMM
BLUE LAB PAVILLON
DAILY/TÄGLICH: 29.07. – 02.08. • 17 – 22 Uhr
DIVING INTO THE BLUE • Info Point
DEEP SEA EXHIBITION • Exhibition
ECHOES OF THE DEEP • Exhibition
PAUL • at the Main • Activity
COLOR WATER 26 • Exhibition
PLAYBLUE • Kinderbereich • Playground
DESIGNING OUR BLUE FUTURE • Interactive Installation
MARINE GLÜCKSRAD • Activity
EXTRA: 27.07 • 21:45 Uhr • I AM THE RIVER, THE RIVER IS ME • Silent Cinema
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FLUID RESILIENCE
Will my sweat rain on the ocean, after it evaporates? Can rivers cry? Water shows us our physical connection to all bodies of water. How does embodying water inform our responsibility as humans towards humans, species and our environment? Through dance improvisation, collective movement and deep listening we explore
the qualities of water as metaphor for solidarity and resilience and bring our fluidity, force and sensitivity to the Main.
29.07. • 18:00 - 20:00
Workshop • WS Space Ost
© Charish Scheurer, Maike Obrecht
by Maike Obrecht
SEA-WATCH E.V. PRESENTS:
KEIN LAND FÜR NIEMAND
Kein Land für Niemand is a powerful doc- umentary about flight, borders and the question of humanity in Europe. Through sensitive observation and striking imagery, the film follows activists, local residents and refugees as they struggle for safety, humanity and dignity, caught between iso- lation and solidarity. A powerful insight into a barely visible corner of Europe.
29.07. • 20:30
Film • Blue Lab Pavilion
© Friedhold Ulonska
by Maik Lüdemann, Maximilian Ahrens • deutsch
BEGEGNUNGEN MIT DEM UNBEKANNTEN
Encounters with the Unknown is a scenic choral performance featuring around 70–80 young people from Frankfurt and Rome. Voices, movement and music explore moments of departure, uncertainty and transformation. The ocean appears as a symbol for inner realms of the unknown, with imagination as the force that enables connection and opens pathways between worlds.
29.07. • 21:00
Music • Theaterbühne
© Roberta de Caro
by Frankfurter Chorverband • Projektchor
des Frankfurter Chorverbands (Frankfurt
am Main) Musikalische Leitung: Jan
Breuers. In Kooperation mit Il Coro che non
c’è (Rom) Musikalische Leitung: Ludovico
„Dodo“ Versino
LIQUID BODY
≈ FLUENT WORDS
What does fluidity feel like in the body – and how does it sound on paper? In this workshop, performer Lux Ulonska and writer Thea Haug combine somatic movement practice, waving and contemporary dance
with creative writing. Through exercises, improvisations and writing prompts, we will explore the Sommerwerft theme ‘Fluid Realities’ and discover new perspectives beyond rigid boundaries, norms and forms.
29.07. • 21:00
Workshop • WS Space Mitte
© Friedhold Ulonska
by Lux Ulonska & Thea Haug
• deutsch / english / francais
O.Z.E.A.N. -
WORK IN PROGRESS
We live on the “Blue Planet,” 71% of which is covered by water—much like an oganism that fluidly connects everything. Through dance, sound, light installations, and interactive spatial design, the performance explores our relationship with the oceans and asks what forces—both divisive and unifying—the world’s oceans and rivers are unleashing today.
29.07. • 21:45
Theatre and Performance
• Theaterplatz Mitte
O.Z.E.A.N. (c) Barbara Walzer
by antagon theaterAKTion • antagon.de
• wenig deutsch / english
Recurrent event
BLUE LAB PAVILION
How are rivers, coasts and oceans connected?
For five days, from 29 July to 2 August, the Blue Lab at the Sommerwerft invites you to explore our aquatic worlds in a creative way. In the Blue Lab Pavilion, visitors can look forward to exhibitions, an information point and hands-on activities exploring the journey from river to sea. A place for meeting others, exchanging ideas and gaining new perspectives on a sustainable blue future.
29.07 - 02.08 • 17:00 - 22:00
Blue Lab Pavilion
© convoifilms
deutsch / english
DIVING INTO THE BLUE
Diving into the blue is a common space for sharing knowledge. Our info corner gathers a myriad of material on projects dedicated to the blue, including videos, posters, brochures, and much more! Do not miss your chance to discover what is currently being
undertaken to preserve and restore our beautiful ocean.
29.07 - 02.08 • 17:00 - 22:00
Info Point • Blue Lab Pavilion
©Edith van den Elzen
Recurrent event
by ACTeon • deutsch / english
PLAYBLUE
Playblue is a playground area dedicated to children along the 5 days of the blue lab, with different board games and other activities planned for each day. Activities include snake and ladder turtle quizzes, water colour painting, the salmon journey from the source to the sea, the plastic issue in our waters, and much more! Come join us on your preferred day to try one of our activities.
29.07. - 02.08. • 17:00 - 22:00
Playground • Kinderbereich
©ACTeon
Recurrent event
by ACTeon • deutsch / english
DESIGNING
OUR BLUE FUTURE
Let’s collectively design our blue future! Be part of a collective large art piece and paint with us the way YOU see YOUR future blue world, from the source to the sea, in a giant canvas roll.
29.07. - 02.08. • 17:00 - 22:00
Interactive• Blue Lab Pavilion
©ACTeon
Recurrent event
by ACTeon • deutsch / english
Recurrent event
MARINE GLÜCKSRAD
Give our wheel of fortune a spin and win a temporary tattoo of a fascinating sea creature! Whether it’s an octopus, a sea anemone or a starfish – take your favourite creature home with you and become part of our mission: after all, we can only protect what
we know.
29.07. - 02.08. • 17:00 - 22:00
Activity • Blue Lab Pavilion
© Edith van den Elzen
by Seckenberg Forschung • deutsch / english
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29.07. - 02.08. • 17:00 - 22:00
DEEP SEA EXHIBITION
Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance
Recurrent event
© Chong Chen
Recurrent event
COLOR WATER 26
“My photographs show nothing but the water of the river Main, in fact, right in the centre of Frankfurt. We see the impact of artificial light of all sorts and colours on the moving surface of the river. During the time of exposure, these lights are drawing the picture
in a kind action-painting-automatique. Our archetypical condition of life – water – and
our contemporary conditions as an explosion of colours meet in a meditative way.” On 26.7., the film “Gleich um die Ecke” from Felix Lenz will be shown in the Silent Cinema
29.07. - 02.08. • 17:00 - 22:00
Exhibition • Kulturfreiraum
© Felix Linz
by Felix Lenz
WASSERCAFÉ:
“SCHÖNES WASSER”
The water café is an artistic oasis. As in any oasis, here you’ll find water and a shady spot to relax. So step inside and let yourself be served, in a most entertaining way, with the most precious substance
our planet has to offer: fresh, clear water. A unique interactive installation
29.07. and 30.07 • 17:30 - 18:30 and 19:30
- 20:30
Interactive Installation • Kulturfreiraum
© Wassercafe
by Ensemble Kroft • deutsch • Von und mit:
Torsten Blunk & Hanna Linde.
Recurrent event
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Something for everyone!
Visitors – children, youth and adults - will:
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Discover many facets of river and ocean sustainability through documentaries, posters, scientific cafés, games or the visit of a scientific research vessel;
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Feel River’s and ocean’s emotions from artwork exhibits to concerts and theatre plays;
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Experience rivers and the ocean by participating in hands-on workshops with professionals, creative workshops with artists, the co-building of an art piece, through meditations or by paddling along the Main River.
MEET THE TEAM
For the Sommerwerft 2026 Blue Lab, protagon international performing arts e.V. and Escuna Criativa e.V. will be supported by a collective of local, national, and European organisations, projects, and individuals committed to river and ocean sustainability, including Bernhard Bub, Protagon e.V. (Artistic Director of the Sommerwerft Festival); Bárbara Luci Carvalho, Protagon/Escuna Criativa e.V. (Blue Lab Coordination); Olga Mashkina & Pierre Strosser, ACTeon (Ocean Literacy and Policy Engagement); David Whyte, University College Cork / Mission Ocean (Artistic Co-curation in collaboration with the TIDAL ArtS project). Together, this collective develops an inspiring Blue Lab program of activities and events, facilitate the participation of artists and scientists - including contributors from other EU countries - and extend the project’s visibility beyond the banks of the river Main.
The project “Blue Lab – Arts & Culture for Ocean Literacy” has been endorsed by IOC-UNESCO as an official activity of the UN Ocean Decade.
INSTAGRAM #Bluelab
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