Karlsruhe as a UNESCO City of Media Arts: "We want to establish media art in public spaces"

A bicycle beams dance choreographies onto facades and radioactivity is made visible in a cinema: fascinating media art in the city can be experienced again in Karlsruhe this spring. We spoke to Dominika Szope, Head of Karlsruhe’s Department of Culture, about upcoming highlights for spring 2022, the city’s close connection with the ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, experiences from the past three years and other goals for Karlsruhe’s media art.

Karlsruhe stands for networking and innovation – especially in the field of media art, as the award as UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts 2019 made clear. Since then, the Seasons of Media Arts have shaped the city with installations by regional and international artists. As the former head of the Communication and Marketing department at the ZKM, head of the “Culture and Society” working group at karlsruhe.digital and current head of the Cultural Office of the City of Karlsruhe, Dominika Szope is very well connected and talks to us about Karlsruhe as a city of media art.

Ms. Szope, was the 2019 award as Germany’s first UNESCO City of Media Arts a surprise for you?

Not really. The application was an initiative of the Karlsruhe Cultural Office, which specifically approached the ZKM | Center for Art and Media at the time. Because the ZKM plays a major role in the field of media art internationally, and therefore also in Germany, of course, we were firmly convinced that we could “bring this title home”. The joy of the successful application was naturally very great.

How important is the close cooperation between the city and the ZKM for the cultural scene?

Very important. The ZKM enjoys an excellent reputation, especially internationally. In Germany, however, and this is my view of things, the ZKM has difficulty holding its own in comparison with other cultural institutions in major cities such as Berlin, Hamburg or Frankfurt – and this is evident in the arts pages, for example. Let me give you an example: when the ZKM turned 30, the New York Times devoted a whole page to the institution. The national German dailies and weeklies didn’t give it a single line.

A new season of media art begins in Karlsruhe this spring. Until June 15, works of art can be seen in the city’s public spaces, including a collaborative project between Karlsruhe artist Jonas Denzel and the dancers of the Badisches Staatstheater. What is particularly important to you?

Visibility. The works provide further insights into Karlsruhe’s broad art and cultural scene. Highlighting the topicality of the media art debate and at the same time making the potential of artistic creation in Karlsruhe visible – these are just two of the aims behind the claim of a City of Media Arts. We want to better establish media art in public spaces on a permanent basis. The Schlosslichtspiele are now strongly associated with Karlsruhe and send a strong signal to the outside world, but media art can do even more – and we want to show that.

How would you sum up the past three years since being named a UNESCO Ciy of Media Arts?

Satisfying against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. While many cultural institutions had to close, we were able to play in public spaces. We will also need these access points – free of inhibitions – in the coming years. That way, we can better reach an audience that is not yet interested in culture. People stop in front of the works, marvel at the effects, enter into conversation and exchange ideas.

Which work do you particularly remember?

In any case, the installation by Aram Bartholl with the oversized mirrored “cell phone” in the Schlossgartensee. It was an installation that appealed to many people and triggered just as many questions. And that’s exactly what art in public spaces is all about. We need this even more nowadays: people’s engagement with their everyday lives and society.

What do the Schlosslichtspiele mean for culture in Karlsruhe?

The Schlosslichtspiele have become an integral part of Karlsruhe since the city’s birthday in 2015. They are an expression of media art. The Schlosslichtspiele are a fixed date and meeting place for many people from Karlsruhe and the region, but also from further afield. And that’s exactly how art works. People meet and talk about it.