The Right to Karlsruhe – Circuit of Commons

In this one-day workshop, visual artists Libia Castro & Ólafur Ólafsson share insights into their critical, socially engaged and collaborative practice and community-scale projects such as "La Casa Invisible – Chapter 1" and "In Search of Magic – A Proposal for a New Constitution for the Republic of Iceland".

Held as a public situation in the museum alongside a pop-up installation of the artists' works, the workshop explores the idea of a permanent, citizen-run Communal City Pavilion in Karlsruhe for diverse users, groups and initiatives, and how it could become a reality. Through research and sketching with diverse materials, participants develop ideas and jointly draft a Protocol of Intentions to advocate for communal initiatives in the city, including the pavilion.

The idea emerged from the artists' dialogue with cultural and social initiatives in Karlsruhe linked to the ‘USEUM' program of ZKM's exhibition "Fellow Travellers. Art as a Tool to Change the World". It responds to the debate around the commons and Henri Lefebvre's ‘right to the city': many local initiatives still struggle to find the space they need to grow and survive.

The workshop is aimed at individuals and community initiatives committed to a creative, diverse and sustainable Karlsruhe.

Language: English. Both artists understand and speak some German; an app and support from local people help everyone follow and contribute.

Libia Castro & Ólafur Ólafsson have been collaborating since 1997 and their work has been exhibited at the 8th Havana Biennial, Van Abbe Museum, Manifesta 7, the 54th Venice Biennial, CAAC Seville, Kunst-Werke Berlin, 19th Sydney Biennial, Norway's National Gallery and La Casa Invisible, Málaga. They work in Reykjavík, Berlin, Rotterdam and Málaga.