Auf die Plätze! is a democracy project in urban space. Following on from The Museum of Small and Overlooked Things, this is our second project that aims to explore how power works in Mainz and the relationship between civic institutions and ordinary people.

For this project, over 120 children from three city centre schools in the city will be given the responsibility for designing a new temporary installation for a public square, with the aspiration that their final chosen design will actually be built and placed in the square for the city to enjoy for a period of time.

The first stage of the project involved every participating child creating their own proposal. To do so they reflected on their relationship to Mainz, its public spaces and what the city does and doesn’t provide for its citizens, young and old alike.

The resulting designs will be shared with the public at a exhibition hosted by the Zentrum Baukultur Rheinland-Pfalz from the 5th to the 19th of March 2026. The project will then culminate in a special public forum hosted by the children themselves and taking place in the theatre at the Staatstheater Mainz. This public event will bring all these children together for the first time, alongside an audience of interested spectators.

At this forum the children will talk about their hopes and aspirations for the project, champion their favourite designs and interview city leaders live onstage.

At the end of the event a vote will be held where every young person present will be given a chance to vote for their favourite design. One design will then be chosen and the city will take on the responsibility to try and realise this chosen project.

This project is a big experiment. By bringing children together with civic leaders and the city’s major public institutions we hope to imagine a new kind of social contract that enables a utopian childishness to make urgent and meaningful change happen in our communities.

Auf die Plätze! A Democracy Project in Urban Space

Created by Andy Field and Beckie Darlington with over 120 children from the Goethe Elementary School Mainz, the Feldberg Elementary School Mainz, and the Leibniz School Mainz Project Team: Andrew Field, Beckie Darlington Theatre Education: Anna Stoß Artistic Production Management: Katharina Greuel Dramaturgy: Katrin Schmitz

→ Public exhibition from March 5 to 19, 2026, Zentrum Baukultur Rheinland-Pfalz (free admission) Opening reception on March 5, 2026 at 5 p.m. - Registration at www.zentrumbaukultur.de

→ Public forum on March 22, 2026 at 3 p.m., Staatstheater Mainz (free admission, tickets available at the box office) DATE March 22, 2026, March 5, 2026

In cooperation with Zentrum Baukultur Rheinland-Pfalz, supported by the Rhineland-Palatinate State Agency for Civic Education