Spinnerei, Leipzig, Germany

Новый арт-центр "Шпинерай" занимает гигантский комплекс зданий бывшей хлопкопрядильной фабрики в Лейпциге. Это очередная попытка вдохнуть новую жизнь в депрессивный регион на территории бывшей ГДР. В полумиллионном Лейпциге с нулевой экономической активностью "Шпинерай" действительно выглядит государством в государстве. К галереям и студиям художников, привлеченным практически бесплатной арендой гигантских лофтов, словно специально созданных для современного искусства, присоединились клубы, магазины для художников и маргинальные образования вроде зарисованного граффити байкерского клуба или мастерской для изготовления книг по рецептам самого Гуттенберга. Буржуазный образ жизни представлен в "Шпинерай" магазином дорогих вин.

Первые студии художников в "Шпинерай" появились десять лет назад, еще во времена работы фабрики, и в течение этого десятилетия искусство постепенно вытесняло производство. Сейчас в "Шпинерай" занято арендаторами около 50% площадей, и по словам идейного вдохновителя арт-центра Бертрама Шульце, остальные 100 тыс. м будут заполняться еще лет десять. Поскольку собирать в маленький провинциальный Лейпциг гостей на каждый вернисаж трудно, несколько раз в год все "фабричные" галереи устраивают одновременное открытие выставок, на которое съезжаются многочисленные арт-тусовщики из Берлина, Франкфурта, Амстердама, Нью-Йорка и Москвы. В эти дни тысячи людей ходят по центральной улице бывшей промзоны, на которой сохранились рельсы от узкоколейки, перевозившей гигантские рулоны ткани.

History

As an historical factory the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei had developed into the largest cotton-spinning mill on the European mainland in the years between 1884 and 1907. Encompassing approximately 12 hectares the area included - in addition to the factory itself - gardens, workers accommodation and a kindergarden. After the decline of cotton yarn production in the early 1990s, the factory was used for different purposes in the following years.

The preserved basic structure of the buildings made it interesting for the revival with an alternative use. Especially the pure atmosphere attracted artists to work here. Those who today represent the famous New Leipzig School continued to value the studio spaces. Today there are creative minds from various fields, such as architects, designers and manufacturers. They have been able to establish their own ideal sphere for living and working. You can find small handicraft businesses, as well as a diverse variety of services at SPINNEREI. The art supply store boesner has become for instance the most important supplier of equipment for the whole region. The unique architectural structure, theatre and dance groups, art and cultural initiatives, specialist shops, a cafe and individual capacious apartments create an attractive urban atmosphere. You can find more details in our Community.

Art production, presentation and trade have evolved into major activities at SPINNEREI. Over 100 professional artists - just in the area of fine arts - work within the community. Art from Leipzig and from all over the world is presented by 11 galleries and their exhibition spaces: Gallery EIGEN + ART, Dogenhaus Gallery Leipzig, gallery Kleindienst, Gallery b2, maerzgallery, ASPN, Nusser & Baumgart Contemporary, FilippRosbach Gallery an, Laden fuer Nichts, Galeria Hilarion Galguera from Mexiko and the SPINNEREI archiv massiv. Furthemore in the art space HALLE 14, three exhibition spaces of the non-profit associations HALLE 14, Universal Cube and Columbus Art Foundation present curated exhibions of international contemporary fine arts.

For information of current exhibitions, please refer to the Art section.

Foundation of Leipzig’s cotton-spinning mill

The Leipzig cotton-spinning mill's founding day is 21 June 1884. The idea was to design a major German spinning mill for yarn thicknesses in the numbers up to the 45ers. The imported size of these yarns was so big that for their fabrication alone 500,000 mandrels would be needed. Finer yarn thicknesses in the numbers from 50ers upward would be thrown onto the European market by large English spinning mills at lower inch rates.

In 1884 the company bought the 59,000 square metre area alongside the old salt street for an amount of 123,200 Mark from Dr Karl Heine, the developer of Leipzig's west. Production started in 1884 with its five spinning chairs, as early as in March 1885 spinning mill I with 30,000 mandrels was working. In 1888 the second spinning mill was constructed and started production with 50 spinning machines with a total amount of 74,000 mandrels. Since 1886 it had been affiliated to the Bremen cotton exchange. In the meantime the first office building and the first worker's tenement had been built. Spinning mill II was operated with a steam engine of 1000 HP.

In 1889 the English and Swiss competition was challenged with the construction of spinning mill III for the production of top-quality combed yarn in fine numbers with a total of 76,000 mandrels and a large amount of combing machines.

Shareholder

The bonuses for the shareholders had doubled from 5% in the beginning to 10%. As of 1893 a dividend of 14% could be paid continually.

The amount of people at the cotton mill grew with production. Working at the cotton mill finally meant living there, too. Men worked about 14 hours a day, women 11 hours.

The closer environment of the cotton mill was called "Piependorf". Women wore aprons, long skirts and many combs in their hair. In the morning, after a number of fist fights, there were sick persons and casualties which served as a good reason for playing truant. Everything was so inexpensive anyway. During lunch break there was often dancing going on at Pfeifer-Louis, and after closing time there were hawkers standing at the cotton mill entrance offering oranges, bloater, but also plaster sculptures and textiles - everything was on sale. Friday was the big day. The women got their wage at noon, the men at closing time. Then people would "live". In the afternoon the baker and the fruit dealer got their share, at night the innkeepers. On Saturdays one went to the canteen. For a single Mark one got half the world.

Production

The Piependorf natives lived like a large family. No one was wealthier or poorer than the other. They proliferated, sometimes tussled and were under the influence of alcohol from Friday to Sunday. The area was infamous in Leipzig and therefore avoided. Only the graveyard visitors came and went. The ones who went out on a Sunday to the inner city ran the gauntlet. In Thueringer Strasse a thousand eyes lurked, from the daunting company health insurance fund man Scheer to the smallest housewife. One had to see what the passers-by were wearing. It was a poor world. Romance barely happened, poetry was wimpy. Yet the attentive saw and heard as much as he might need for a whole novel. It still was a reflection of the big world outside.

Until 1899 a kindergarten and more workers' tenements had been established. A music band consisting of 21 men and the men's choir "Frohsinn" (Cheerfulness) had been created and were gladly consulted at working occasions. In 1903 a 10-hour working day was accomplished with a strike.

In 1907 the ambitious enterprise started to produce its own cotton in German East Africa. Under the name of "Leipzig cotton-spinning mill plantations Cherhami near Sadami and Kissanke at the Wami" about 30,000 ha of cotton were planted there until the first world war.

The year 1909 marks a quarter century of development at Leipzig's cotton mill. The management had succeeded in keeping pace with the stormy speed of industrial spread in the Wilhelminian time period and developed the factory into the continent's biggest cotton-spinning mill within 25 years.

Сайт http://www.spinnerei.de/