In this time of general uncertainty, due in part to the global economic crisis, but also to social issues growing more and more complex, more and more people withdraw into privacy and a perceived idyll, as in Biedermeier or Regency times. Cocooning is but one facet of this trend. This is the point of change where the project SANCTUARY begins. "Haven", "asylum", "retreat" as well as "place of worship" or even "sanctum" are words denoting the many meanings of "SANCTUARY". As different as they are, they all refer to a distinct site and a geographical constant. We delve into these places offering respite and consolation, promising inner healing, doing research with our partners, revealing their dimensions of private cult site or even private sanctum. This could mean resident space a well as a gravesite , the garden or allotment as a retreat, the tearoom, a square in the city or a bench in the woods.Which are those places in Germany, Malta, Poland, Lithuania or Turkey? What are the specific social phenomena generating withdrawal into private spaces within the participating countries?The artistic examination follows those questions closely and on a high level. Dancers, theatre people, photographers and video artists will work cooperatively and present site specific creations.During the course of the project, an intense exchange between artists and local citizens is a must. Together, they will work towards the realization of a "gallery of broken dreams and new hope" in the combination of performance art and audiovisual artworks.Through journeys and communication between all partners, there will be a common thread uniting all the strands of this project through the transfer of ideas and/ or objects, all striving for sustainability. "Social withdrawal", "conditions, sites and ways of reflexion and self-renewal" and "artistic expression of private issues", being the topics informing the project, will be presented to the general public in the form of a symposium.