Thoughts on a centenary

A hundred years of identity

Nikolas Kerkenrath,Head of the Bayer Cultural Affairs Department, 1986 - 2008

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Nikolas Kerkenrath, Head of the Bayer Cultural Affairs Department, 1986 - 2008

This year’s cultural programme, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Erholungshaus, evolved quite naturally from that of our centenary season “A century of Bayer.Kultur” and forms the second chapter in a unique cultural history. Right from the start, the Erholungshaus was a meeting-place, a venue for cultural events and a symbol of the company’s awareness of its entrepreneurial and social responsibilities – in other words, what is now known as “corporate identity”, although this global concept does not really reflect the importance of the regional contribution, the local soil in which cultural work and values take root and thrive.

When you see the Erholungshaus, touch its walls and read about forthcoming events, you immediately get a feeling of cultural identity, a sense of belonging that was implicit in another objective of Bayer’s cultural work from the outset: education. Education has always been the raison d’être of all our cultural activities. Today it is a particularly challenging task to separate true cultural substance from fashionable entertainment mechanisms – without excluding the entertainment aspect altogether. This is a balancing act that we perform each season – usually with success.

Last season we announced that 2008/09 would be a “normal” season with a spotlight on the 100th anniversary of the Bayer Erholungshaus. The events in this year’s programme, entitled “A centre of culture turns a hundred”, are not linked by any common theme. But throughout the programme there are clear references to what makes this centre of culture so special and to the many ways in which its outstanding features can be used to good effect: The Erholungshaus is a “meeting-place” for theatre companies from North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin, whose directors and producers are full of praise for the high level of professionalism of our technical team. It is a rendezvous for top musicians who value the acoustics and concert atmosphere of the auditorium and have discovered its potential as a location for CD recordings. Museums, galleries and art institutes consider the Erholungshaus to be a particularly attractive setting for exhibitions because all the different arts come together there. Experimental choreographers feel more at ease in the intimate atmosphere of the Erholungshaus than in a large theatre. And narrators and solo singers appreciate the adaptability of the stage and auditorium.

For many of the artists who appear there, the Erholungshaus has become part of their life. Claus Peymann was no doubt expressing the feelings of many others when he wrote recently in the guestbook of the Cultural Affairs Department: “The Berliner Ensemble feels at home in Leverkusen, thank you and best wishes.” These sentiments inspired our choice of cover picture, which shows the artists – and through them the arts – bowing symbolically to the one-hundred-year history of the Erholungshaus and Bayer’s cultural activities.

The centenary seasons 2007/08 and 2008/09 were my last. After 22 years I am bidding farewell to the Cultural Affairs Department and our audiences. Bayer’s awareness of the importance of culture and trust in my approach enabled me to ensure that the artistic ethos always had priority and made it possible to highlight important cultural themes. The inclusion of Bayer’s other Rhineland sites in our activities and our cooperation on specific projects with many Bayer agencies throughout the world have given our cultural work an even higher profile and enhanced the company’s image. This is reflected in the two slogans “Bayer also stands for culture” and “Economic regions are cultural regions too”.

The cultural dialogue between Germany and France has always been particularly important to me. Our two countries have a long-standing and wonderful relationship that fortunately continued after the end of the last war, and was a key to the rebuilding of Europe, not just economically, but also culturally. When it comes to promoting Franco-German relations, we are in good company: some schools in Leverkusen offer French as the first foreign language, the town has recently acquired a French “twin” and Minister-President Jürgen Rüttgers is also an enthusiastic advocate of Franco-German friendship. It is therefore fitting that the 2008/09 season should open with a series of events under the banner of “Bayer.Kultur bleu-blanc-rouge” which at the same time honour twenty years of cooperation with Bayer in France.

It only remains for me to express my heartfelt thanks to all those who have accompanied me on my cultural path and supported me in my work: the company, Bayer, with its far-sighted social commitment, our enthusiastic and open-minded audiences, my cooperative partners and colleagues, and most especially my creative and conscientious team.

I wish my successor courage and good fortune in preserving and enhancing this outstanding cultural tradition.

Nikolas Kerkenrath
Head of the Bayer Cultural Affairs Department, 1986 – 2008