Bitterfeld-Wolfen is a region shaped by profound structural transformations. While economic and infrastructural developments are often at the center of public discourse, young people's perspectives on their environment frequently remain underrepresented. Particularly in open youth work contexts, the challenge arises of how to create spaces for agency and exchange beyond institutional educational frameworks.
Within the open framework of Jugendclub 83, participants worked with digital tools such as greenscreen techniques, AI-assisted image processing, and audiovisual montage. The methods were developed in response to their interests and enabled them to explore narratives of past, present, and future in Bitterfeld-Wolfen. The resulting works were presented both locally at Festival OSTEN and in a broader artistic context at LOFFT – DAS THEATER Leipzig.
Through their experimental engagement with digital media, participants created independent artistic interventions that explored questions of change, belonging, and spatial identity. Presenting their work at Festival OSTEN facilitated an exchange with a wider audience, while relocating the youth club to the festival center transformed the space into a site of encounter. The project's subsequent exhibition at LOFFT in Leipzig added another layer of reflection, embedding the participants' perspectives into a transregional discourse and opening up new conversations.