Grand Arts Tour: Our first stop is a cloister in Germany's far north, the site of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Music Festival. 20 years ago, it was still an insider's tip for great music in unusual locations; today it’s one of the biggest German music festivals, boasting everything from percussion beats within cloister walls, to poetry readings in a seafarer's church, to a piano concert on the beach. Slow Down: Artists decelerate a speeding world: The yearning to escape the ever-accelerating pace of life in a globalized world is becoming increasingly powerful. German-Jewish author Benjamin Stein: Benjamin Stein is a computer specialist, management consultant and novelist. Born in East Berlin, Stein's new novel is titled «Die Leinwand», which is scheduled to appear as 'The Canvas' in English translation. Hollywood Architecture Rediscovered – Richard Neutra in Europe: Vienna-born architect Richard Neutra's mansions in Hollywood are the stuff of legend. But his designs in Europe, and especially those in Wuppertal, Germany, are far less known.

Discover culture. Germany is becoming a crossroads for the creative scene of the 21st century. The world is watching to see what's taking shape in Berlin and beyond. Arts.21 presents the creative minds, traces the new ideas, explains the great debates and follows the biggest events of the season. Journalism that casts a critical eye on the Zeitgeist - week by week, in German, English and Spanish.