Fellow Travellers. Art as a Tool to Change the World

The ZKM | Museum Communication in transition: for over two decades, it has stood for innovative mediation of art, culture and media. With the aim of sharing knowledge, the institution has gradually developed into a place of learning and democratic participation. We trace the paths that have shaped this development – from the first dialogic tours, through numerous participatory projects, all the way to the current USEUM.

Starting point is the observation that art today is no longer primarily self-referential. It addresses socially relevant issues, engages with science, politics, the economy and social matters, and brings people together through the themes it explores. Against this backdrop, the USEUM – as both a place and a concept – marks a paradigm shift: away from the museum as a repository of knowledge, toward a social space in which art is understood as a tool for societal change. The central question is no longer ‘What are we showing?’, but ‘What is the use of what we are showing?’

The contributions collected in this volume explore this shift – from display to discourse, from observation to action – and offer an insight into Karlsruhe’s networks and initiatives that are taking over exhibition spaces. At the heart of this lies the realization that institutional change is always about building relationships: concepts such as Arte Útil or the contact zone can only unfold through encounters on an equal footing. Inclusion and participation are regarded as the foundation of contemporary, interdisciplinary and action-oriented cultural work. The publication is intended as a snapshot of an ongoing process – a toolkit of experiences, methods and questions that invites readers to contribute and participate.