The Poetry Machine stops off in Aalten

After two months on Bocholt's market square, the interactive art installation "Poetry Machine" was officially unveiled in Aalten on 4 August 2026. The cloud-shaped installation invites visitors to listen to poems from the border region in German and Dutch at the touch of a button, thereby discovering the cultural diversity of the border region.

The Poetry Machine is part of the #artinprogress art project by the artist Karo Kollwitz. The installation has previously been on display in Weimar, Hamburg, Zurich and Helsinki.

Poetry that transcends borders

German and Dutch citizens, as well as school pupils, have recorded the texts - most of which they wrote themselves - for the installation. The resulting soundscape reflects a project that brings people together across linguistic and national borders.

Grand opening in Aalten

Representatives from both local authorities, as well as those involved in the project, gathered for the opening in Aalten to celebrate the continuation of this cross-border art project. The close cooperation between the two local authorities had already been highlighted at the first opening in Bocholt.

In Aalten, Bocholt's mayor, Christian Mangen, Aalten's deputy mayor, Joop Wikkerink, Mark van Dam from the municipality of Aalten, and Jule Wanders, Head of the Culture and Education Department for the City of Bocholt, were delighted with the installation at Markt 1, in the immediate vicinity of the "Nationaal Onderduikmuseum". Europe is made visible here on a small scale, the speakers said. Cross-border exchange is being highlighted and will continue to be given a voice.

The Poetry Machine is funded and supported by the Gütersloh Cultural Secretariat, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, EUROPE DIRECT Bocholt and stadtwerker. The opening events in Bocholt and Aalten are made possible by the Interreg Germany-Netherlands programme and its programme partners, and are co-financed by the European Union.