Under the motto Decentral. Diverse. Outside, the UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts Karlsruhe brings cultural life with all its facets “back” into the city. After months of cultural silence, visitors can look forward to a unique cultural program across all genres and categories during Karlsruhe’s first Summer of Culture, which the German Federal Cultural Foundation found so impressive that the City will receive 400,000 Euros funding from the Restart Culture program.
Under the auspices of the City of Media Arts bureau of the Culture Department, the Karlsruhe Marketing and Event GmbH, and the ZKM | Center for Art and Media as members of the Executive Board, a joint concept was formulated for the Summer of Culture in Karlsruhe and submitted to the German Federal Cultural Foundation for funding. More than 20 institutions and initiatives in Karlsruhe in the areas of art and culture, creative economy and the digital scene, as well as civic societies came together to send out a positive signal for the restart.
Local and international artists will be given the opportunity to show their works in urban space in a special edition of the Karlsruhe media art festival Seasons of Media Arts. Starting on September 17, 2021, the exhibition Connected Future, conceived by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Karlsruhe and the ZKM | Karlsruhe, will present media art in public space. The works will address socially relevant issues of a globally networked, digitized world and provide artistic commentary on the challenges of our time.
SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE also introduces a new concept: a decentralized Light Festival will be realized, extending the event into the urban space. The Light Festival consists of the exhibition of light art in shop windows, empty spaces and areas of gastronomy and the staging of facades and squares. With new venues and open programming, the Light Festival creates participation opportunities for local artists, associations and cultural actors.
Music and theater can also be enjoyed outdoors as part of the summer of culture. The red DAS FEST-Citymobil brings live performances, art and culture directly to the people. The open loading area of a van functions as a mobile stage. A maximally flexible, low-threshold and free cultural offer that can be enjoyed surprisingly throughout the city.
A theater tent was erected in the Günther-Klotz-Anlage – the main purpose of the theater tent is to offer actors and artists an opportunity and thus also a perspective to practice their profession again.
The offer is rounded out with the multi-day festival Visual Groove Silent Edition, which combines live jazz and video art, and with the program Toujours Kunst. Toujours Kunst offers events from the fields of dance performance, theater workshop, art exhibition, theater pedagogy and media education. Artists and cultural and creative professionals from a wide range of disciplines take part.
The Summer of Culture relies on a strong network and partnerships, which have formed around the UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts.