Fifty years ago, the territory reform shifted the boundaries of cities and municipalities. For the anniversary, the Cultural Office Münsterland looks back under the title "Sign Change – 50 Years of Territory Reform in Münsterland": Five art projects illuminate the controversial boundary changes and their effects on the region. One of them is "Mapping Stories – Maps, Areas, Stories" by the artist Nikola Dicke in the Coesfeld district. From conversations and district maps, she has created animated films and shows them outdoors.
"The territory reform profoundly changed the lives of many people in Münsterland, including my family's. Today, decades later, the decisions of that time are history, yet their effects are still felt. My intention is to interview witnesses and make their stories easily accessible through animated films projected in public spaces. In doing so, I give them a voice and preserve their personal stories," says artist Nikola Dicke about her project. The effects of the territory reform are still apparent today, for example, in the distribution areas of local newspapers. For instance, people from Gescher read their news in the Coesfelder Allgemeine Zeitung, even though they belong to the Borken district.
For "Mapping Stories," the native of Lüdinghausen has interviewed numerous witnesses from five towns in the Coesfeld district about their experiences with the territory reform. From these interviews, she creates animated films in mixed media technique, which she then combines with hand-drawn district maps from her father. He was a surveying engineer in the old district of Lüdinghausen and later in the Coesfeld district. The films then tour as open-air cinema in the interviewed towns. At each projection site, a public storytelling café takes place with witnesses. The stories that arise from the film screenings on-site are incorporated into the films, resulting in a multi-part film projection at the end. The final version will be on display from May 3 to 8 at Burg Vischering – the finissage of the project on May 8 at 6 PM is part of the presentation week of all "Sign Change" projects.
