Infrastructures
July and August 2020
(at changing locations in Munich’s public space)
From July through August 2020 Kunstverein München will move into the public space with the five-part discussion series Infrastructures to reflect in close dialogue with scientists, theorists, artists, and the audience onsite upon the current understanding of the public sphere and its infrastructures, which form our social life. Created as a mobile space for discussion, the project will be situated at five changing locations of Munich´s urban environment. Hence, it aims to counteract the central orientation of the city and also serves to temporarily detach the Kunstverein München from its fixed location at the Hofgarten, thus making apparent its own affiliation with the public sphere.
The public sphere as a dynamic as well as fragile space for social life is perceptible through the presence of other people and the exchange with them, be it real or virtual. It constantly correlates with a political system, but also with public institutions and the media. Here, the formation and expression of opinion and criticism can be identified as well as ideas of freedom, which always include questions of control or security. Discussions emerging here about the notion censorship show that precise contextualization and differentiation have been necessary. Considering, that censorship is defined as attempt to control information and legally regulated in democratic systems, it is often preceded by overly hasty judgements.
The project Infrastructures individually takes a closer look at selected key topics, including the urban space, the body, spaces for remembrance, the digital public sphere, and the cultural institution, in order to gain a better understanding of the structures of the public sphere and its inherent control mechanisms.
With contributions by Emre Akal (Theater director, writer), Noëm Held (Graphic Design), Sebastian Jung (Artist), Albert Knoll (Forum Queeres Archiv München e.V.), Julia Moritz (Education Curator, Gropius Bau, Berlin), Mira Anneli Naß (Research Assistant, Department of Art History and Aesthetic Theory, University of Bremen), Dr. Sophie-Charlotte Opitz (Art and Cultural Scientist, Curator), pflücken Victoria Schweyer and Jana Wunderlich (Architecture), Jovana Reisinger (Filmmaker, writer), Leonhard Rothmoser (Drawings), Dr. Imke Schmincke (Scientific Associate, Department of Sociology, LMU Munich; Editor of the magazine Body Politics), Jenny Sréter (Education Curator, Gropius Bau, Berlin), Josefa Maria Stiegler (Research Assistant, Department of Political Science, University of Vienna), et al.
The program is accompanied by additional material in the form of an anthological online collection, which will be made available on the website. Furthermore, subsequent texts will be made accessible for online viewing and printing.
Infrastructures is curated by Christina Maria Ruederer in close exchange with Mira Anneli Naß.
Infrastructures is supported by the Ramersdorf-Perlach District of Council (BA16), the Laim District of Council (BA25), and the Untergiesing-Harlaching District Council (BA18) of the city of Munich.
Image designed by Noëm Held with Drawings by Leonhard Rothmoser; Courtesy the artists and Kunstverein München e.V.