Die Stadt zum Staunen bringen

Ole-Kristian Heyer on encounters in public space, urban development and the Insane Urban Cowboys in Gelsenkirchen.

An interview by Joma Langhans

Many aspects of audience engagement in contemporary circus are also relevant in other fields: “placemaking” (1) strategies likewise draw on the potential of audiences and connect artistic programs with local needs. They strengthen the relationship between performance, place, and audience, so that participatory formats or cultural interventions not only attract spectators but also build lasting connections. In this way, urban development becomes a process that leads to lively spaces of encounter and social participation, turning a passive audience into an active urban community.

The Insane Urban Cowboys also work on these kinds of approaches to urban development and participation. Before we go deeper into your work, we’d like to start with your personal perspective: Who are you, what has shaped you, and what motivates you in what you do?

I’m a freelance artist, photographer, and urban developer, and I grew up in Mülheim an der Ruhr. I came to Gelsenkirchen by way of Essen, and since 2018 I’ve been living and working in the Ückendorf district. What especially fascinates me about Gelsenkirchen is its history and its enormous spatial potential: it was once one of the economically strongest cities in Germany, home to the country’s first pedestrian zone, and much of it was designed with continued population growth in mind. Then, however, it was hit by a series of crises. Alongside the crisis in the textile industry and, later, the steel industry, the coal crisis from the 1960s onward hit the city especially hard. As entire industries disappeared, the population declined sharply and many sites were left unused – some of them to this day. What we see now is a city whose population is growing again, but one that is still, metaphorically speaking, wearing boots that are too big for it. That is precisely where I see an opportunity: to rediscover these open spaces, activate them with ideas, and work together with the urban community to develop new forms of use and quality of life. That’s why I pursue my own artistic projects, collaborate with the city, and am involved with the Insane Urban Cowboys. This association was founded in 2015 and emerged from the vacancy in the so-called Kreativ.Quartier (2) at the time. The many open spaces allow for artistic experimentation and give the area a distinct Wild West feel – hence the name. At the same time, we think of “cowboys” more as shepherds, people who take respon-sibility for life in a shared community (without the term carrying any gendered meaning in our work). The goal is always for people, whether as members of an urban community or as residents of the Ruhr region, to reclaim spaces and, in doing so, improve the quality of life.

How do you approach your work, and how does it differ from earlier urban development initiatives in the Ruhr region?

I think that in the past there was too little engagement with the actual needs of residents. In other words, it often followed a top-down approach, and that is not only true of Gelsenkirchen. At the same time, simply implementing individual wishes is not always the right solution either. What seems meaningful to me is a combination of individual perspectives and ideas gathered from local residents, together with broader, more holistic plan-ning strategies. And then there is the issue of displacement when places begin to develop in positive ways. I want to be clear, though, that revitalisation does not automatically lead to displacement. Displacement tends to occur where there is a lack of responsibility. When places are shaped collectively, new open spaces can also emerge – small parks or places to spend time, for example – that benefit the neighbourhood while also improving the urban climate.

We, the Insane Urban Cowboys, are a collective made up of people from different, mostly creative disciplines. Our perspective is shaped above all by looking at the city “from below” – that is, by really going into public space, making changes, and seeing what people take up and build on themselves. What ideas emerge directly from the neighborhood? Those are the potentials we explore in our projects, with the aim of developing them together with locals or translating them into concrete proposals for the city. We cannot change the city without working together with politics and the administration, so good communication is key.

For example, when a month-long project generates new insights, we look for allies in the city districts – such as the district mayors – who can support the idea and bring it into the relevant political bodies so that it can eventually lead to formal decisions. For example, our 2022 project Urbanus Herbst in Gelsenkirchen-Buer is now leading to concrete action: a cul-de-sac is being redesigned to become a permanent part of the pedestrian zone, creating more open space and improving the area’s overall quality as a place to spend time, rather than it just being used for parking.

How do you approach your projects in practice, and what matters most to you in the process?

Our work usually begins with open walks through the city. We look at different places, stop, and try to identify spaces with potential – not only for artistic use, but also in terms of making spaces more inviting. In doing so, we first try to set aside our own ideas and instead speak with the people on the ground. They are the real experts on that particular place. One example was a 2024 project we carried out at the Altmarkt in Oberhausen. There, we built a very simple pop-up stage – more of a platform than a conventional event stage. Before setting it up, we spoke with local residents, shopkeepers, and people using the square: What ideas are already here? What kind of music would fit this place? The programme grew out of those conversations, with local bands and initiatives becoming part of it. What mattered to us was that the organisation and registration process should be handled as much as possible by local actors, so that the project could continue even once we were no longer there.

More broadly, the work of the Insane Urban Cowboys has three major strands. One is the Street Art Offensive, with large-scale murals (3) by international artists that are also widely shared on social media, contributing to a shift in the area’s image. Another is the neighbourhood format KOMMSE ÜCKEN?! (4) with open concerts and exhibitions along Bochumer Straße. And finally, there is the development of new projects initiated by the city administration, where we can build lasting structures through local cooperation.

The projects are deliberately designed to be low-threshold and, above all, free of charge. Free access and participation are essential if public space is to be understood as an equal place for everyone. I often have the impression that city centres in the Ruhr region are treated like second-class spaces: those who can afford it retreat into private space. In other cities, I often experience a different kind of urban culture: people do not just move through the city to run errands, they also stop, meet one another, and spend time in public space. Here in the Ruhr region, by contrast, it feels as though every journey is first and foremost an obligation. But public space could be so much more: a place where, after shopping or going to the doctor’s, you might still sit down for a moment, spend some time, and experience chance encounters not as a source of stress but as something enriching. Despite all our different personal realities, we share our environment with one another – and that diversity can also be something beautiful. I would like to challenge the underlying assumption that public space is exhausting and burdensome. To me, it should be something that enriches our shared life.

What role do culture and creativity play in your interventions?

As Urban Cowboys, we deliberately pursue an approach that goes beyond the framework of conventional events. The success of such events is usually measured by visitor numbers or revenue. We take the opposite approach: rather than trying to enliven city centres through events centred mainly on consumerism, we focus on changing public space itself. This creates situations in which neighbours, passers-by, or accidental visitors suddenly become part of what is happening. I am convinced that everyone carries artistic potential within them. People are multifaceted and full of contradictions, and that is exactly where their strength lies. While conventional events tend to be tightly planned, we work in a deliberately open way and allow ourselves to be surprised. When we develop projects, we often do not yet know exactly where they will lead. The results emerge together with the people who want to get involved. This is rooted in solidarity and a collective approach: everyone is invited to take part, contribute their own ideas, and help put them into practice. I would like more people to experience artistic processes in their everyday lives. Art is less about fixed

answers than about asking questions. When we learn to question our surroundings, our desires, and ourselves, new perspectives emerge on how we want to shape our cities and live together. It is precisely this openness that can be carried over from artistic processes into many other areas of life.

How do spectators become active participants in your projects?

The question of quality of life in the Ruhr region is closely tied to people’s self-image and to how they see their own surroundings. A common and rather destructive narrative is that nothing is happening here, and that life therefore cannot really be good. At the same time, toughness is also an important part of the region’s identity. When I ask people openly about their lives in the city, they often begin by talking about what is not going well. But when I ask about their wishes for the city, I am often met with puzzled looks. Many people find it difficult to see the role they themselves could play in making those changes happen. In projects where I spend a lot of time in public space and talk with people, I receive a great deal of encouragement. Many people appreciate what we do. The barrier to becoming active themselves, however, still seems high.

That also has to do with a culture in which people are addressed primarily as consumers. If we want to develop an active urban society that is rooted in solidarity, more people need to become aware of their own capacity to act and to put that capacity to use. But that is a longer process. What matters most, then, is to keep showing, again and again, that these possibilities exist.

How do you break through that narrative?

One time, we set up a stage opposite a kiosk, where a dancer and a drummer were performing. As they played, a mother and her daugh-ter passed by on their way to the kiosk. The mother wanted to hurry past, but the girl was fascinated and stopped. For a moment, she had already become part of the audience, while the mother was still caught up in the routines of everyday life. To me, that scene beauti-fully shows how spontaneously an audience can form.

It is precisely through that spontaneity that the perception of a place can change: public space suddenly becomes a performance space and remains in people’s minds as a positive memory. That alone is already a major gain, simply because it briefly disrupts the negative narrative people have about their own city. Perhaps the next time someone is about to complain about the place, they think: wait a second, there is also something beautiful here. That, for me, is where the potential lies: first and foremost, in changing how people see their own city. And from there, more can emerge.

Other people value this as well. For example, during our month-long Weber Terrassen project in downtown Gelsenkirchen in 2023, we closed off parking bays in the city centre and set up seating and flower boxes instead. One evening, I noticed a man stopping by to clean the flower boxes and replant flowers that had been pulled out. Later, I spoke with him. Because of his working hours, he was rarely able to attend our events, but since he lived nearby and liked the project, he wanted at least to help make sure the place stayed beautiful. For him, it became a regular voluntary task. To me, that was a sign of appreciation and participation.

At the same time, it is important to us that our spaces do not function only through programming. We deliberately leave plenty of room for everyday life, so that people can notice how urban space changes: fewer parked cars, less manoeuvring, a more pleasant soundscape, and suddenly you can even talk from one side of the street to the other. And of course, we also create cultural impulses.

Where do you see parallels between contemporary circus and your work?

For me, the strongest parallel lies in sparking a sense of wonder – or in reconnecting with the inner child. It begins the moment when people unexpectedly come across an acrobat or an artistic performance and pause. They look more closely, they become more aware of what is happening around them, and they do so without immediately judging. For me, that pause is the real magical moment, often quite independent of any grand spectacle. Contemporary circus has a special potential for this. It is made by people for people and has a playful, open artistic quality. That is also why disciplines like parkour work so well in urban space: they open up new ways of experiencing the city.

What is always exciting in the process is observing how an audience comes into being: once the first person stops, it becomes easier for others to stop as well. Some hang back and watch for a while; others come right up, say something, and then move on. The reactions vary widely – and that is precisely what makes these moments so social.

Our experience also shows that trust in the urban community is crucial. So far, we have not had a single project that was tampered with or ultimately didn’t work out. For me, the particular strength of our work, and of circus, lies in its playfulness and sense of care. When we carry out projects in that way – openly, generously, and genuinely for the sake of the work itself – that spark passes on to others.

(1) The idea of “placemaking” is closely tied to the work of the American urbanist Jane Jacobs. In the 1950s, she began challenging forms of urban planning shaped primarily by investors, arguing instead for the importance of public spaces as lively places where people can meet, interact, and spend time.Through concrete examples, she showed how even simple interventions could bring neglected spaces back to life. At the heart of her work was the belief that cities should not be designed from the top down but shaped with the people who live in them. Jacobs is also an important reference in feminist urban research. She was among the first to criticize the fact that cities were often shaped by small, predominantly male groups of decision-makers, and she argued that urban development should reflect the perspectives and needs of everyone. This understanding continues to shape how placemaking is defined today: as a participatory approach to urban development that fosters social interaction, improves the quality of public space, and strengthens local identity.

(2) The Kreativ.Quartiere Ruhr funding programme is an initiative of the state of North Rhine–Westphalia that supports artistic experimentation and the creative economy in 14 cities across the Ruhr region. Its aim is to support structural change by encouraging artists and creative practitioners to settle in selected neighbourhoods, making use of vacant spaces, and helping to create lively urban districts.

(3) Murals are large-scale paintings or graffiti on building facades, often thematizing social or cultural issues.

(4) KOMMSE ÜCKEN?! is a free neighbourhood festival in Gelsenkirchen-Ückendorf that has been successfully held on Bochumer Straße every quarter since 2022 and enjoys great popularity well beyond the district itself. It is now jointly organised by the Ücken collective and carried out by various creative and gastronomic actors on Bochumer Straße, who offer “more than usual” in their shops and venues on the evening of the event.