Katzenwedelwiese

Art in the neighborhood: Since 2019, ZKM Karlsruhe has been leasing the Katzenwedelwiese meadow in the Beiertheim-Bulach district. The project originated from the ZKM exhibition project Critical Zones (2020–2022), which explored the critical state of the Earth's ecological habitats. As part of this project, artist Stéphane Verlet-Bottéro initiated the restoration of the Katzenwedelwiese in 2019, transforming it into a traditional orchard (Streuobstwiese). Since then, it has been maintained and cared for by ZKM, serving as a symbol of biodiversity conservation. In collaboration with numerous contributors from ZKM, the City of Karlsruhe, the citizens’ associations of Bulach and Beiertheim, and various artists, we, the ZKM team, cares for the meadow and its orchard trees through mowing, pruning, and other stewardship activities. At the same time, we activate the site through art projects and workshops that engage with and explore the ecological, cultural, and social value of the meadow.

The program on the orchard combines its ongoing care and maintenance with public activities and events. These invite participants to reflect on the ways in which nature and culture are inseparably intertwined. This commitment was further recognized in 2021, when traditional orchard cultivation (Streuobstanbau) in Germany was inscribed on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

We welcome the way in which caring for an orchard expands our museum practice. Together with the Katzenwedelwiese, we are learning that animals, plants, insects, and other living beings can become participants in creative processes. What happens when we regard this species-rich meadow as an artistic medium, as a complex network of creativity, and as an integral part of ZKM?

We invite everyone to take part in this ongoing process of learning and discovery.

Location: Katzenwedelwiese (ZKM Orchard) in Beiertheim-Bulach, St. Florian Straße (at the cul-de-sac), 76135 Karlsruhe

As part of the exhibition Assembling Grounds. Practices of Coexistence, the School of Fire took place in 2025, initiated by members of the network around the Katzenwedelwiese, including Stéphane Verlet-Bottéro and Oliver Selim Boualam. For this project, the Katzenwedelwiese was transformed into a ceramics workshop: artists and local residents set up a kiln in the orchard and used clay sourced from the Karlsruhe region to create a series of utensils, glazed with organic materials.

In summer 2024, a new art project began on the orchard, focusing on communication, encounters, and exchange within the local neighborhood: the Hochsitzcafé by artists INDRA. and Olaf Quantius.