The initiative karlsruhe.digital arose with the collaboration of nine expert groups, over 25 institutions, and over 50 ICT companies. Together they pursue the vision for Karlsruhe to become a motor of digitalization – for competitiveness, quality of life and sovereignty and hence be a pioneer with regard to digital topics. a driver of digitalization It bundles expert knowledge, fpromotes networking and deals with topics holistically in order to actively shape the digital future of the city.

And there are people behind it. People who are committed, who are passionate about something and who use their time, their ideas and their expertise for precisely this reason. Who these people, the digital Kheads, are, me want to make them visible. Once a month, we ask the digital minds what drives them and what visions they have.
In the ninth part of our series, we visit Dr. Helga Huskamp, Managing Director of the Center for Art and Media | ZKM.

Although the temperatures are summery warm, a pleasantly refreshing breeze blows in our faces as we cycle to the ZKM. The city is at its best on this day – lively, inviting and full of energy. Perfect starting conditions for our conversation with Dr. Helga Huskamp, Managing Director of the ZKM.

When we arrive at the ZKM, we are once again struck by its striking façade. The history-laden factory building exudes a fascinating mixture of industrial heritage and modern creativity – and it stands for the transformation from a place of 20th century horror to a place of freedom and art. The ZKM website provides more information about the painful history of the transformation from an ammunition factory to a cultural factory and the responsibility that the ZKM bears as a result. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the factory, the ZKM honored the outstanding architectural quality of the monumental building with its GLOBALE program and also commemorated the painful history of the former munitions factory.

We park our bike near the main entrance and take a moment to admire the impressive architecture. The large windows allow sunlight to stream inside, giving the building an open and inviting character. We enter the ZKM through the main entrance. On the way to Helga Huskamp’s office, we admire the spacious halls and interactive art installations on display here – which immediately give us a feeling of boundless possibilities and creative freedom.

The loft-like office, which Huskamp uses together with artistic director Alistair Hudson, is located on the top floor. The large windows offer a wonderful view of the surrounding city. We are already expected – and a little later, coffee in hand, we begin our interview with one of the driving forces behind one of the world’s most unique cultural institutions.

From the marketing agency to the ZKM

Huskamp tells us that she witnessed the founding phase of the ZKM from the sidelines. “I was an art history student in Munich at the time,” she recalls. “First our Professor Belting accepted the call to the ZKM, then a good friend of mine decided to do his doctorate there. As a result, the ZKM has always been an established institution for me.”

Huskamp’s career is impressively diverse. She not only completed a doctorate in art history, but has also always had a keen interest in management. “I have always been fascinated by how museums work in the Anglo-American world, because they are not funded by the state in the way we are used to here in Germany,” she explains. For this reason, her path initially led her into the world of business via detours.

Based in Munich, Huskamp worked as an agency consultant for medium-sized companies and corporations, focused on brand development and marketing and eventually founded her own agency. “Nevertheless, I always remained connected to art in my private life,” she emphasizes. At the age of 40, she decided to return to art and culture. She took on a role at the documentary film festival in Munich, followed by stints at the Bauhaus Dessau and the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. “I like projects in which themes and structures have to be shaped,” she explains. Huskamp describes her new position as managing director at the ZKM as a dream job. “All my interests and skills come together here – the variety of topics combined with the diverse fields of activity,” she says enthusiastically. At the ZKM, she can ideally combine her passions for art and management and work in an international context.

Closing ranks between cultural life and technological progress

We could listen to the fascinating story for hours before we lose our train of thought, but we take a sip of coffee and take a look at our notepad, where we have jotted down our most important questions. And so we move on to a connection that may not always seem obvious. We want to know from Huskamp what role culture plays in the context of digitalization.

“Culture always depicts society,” replies Huskamp. Artists have always used the tools available to them in their time. “In the Middle Ages, for example, these were golden backgrounds, followed later by oil and acrylic. And today, it is technologies such as virtual reality or artificial intelligence that are used to accompany social issues from an artistic perspective,” Huskamp continues.

Digital transformation in art and culture

Digitization is also a key issue for art in general and for the ZKM and other museums: “Technologies are becoming ever simpler and more accessible, but this also brings challenges”. In the past, a large screen or a media technology installation in a museum was something special, but today it is standard in many places. “This availability, which is good on the one hand, leads to ever-increasing expectations among museum visitors on the other. An increasing eventization can be observed, which is of course also associated with rising costs for museums.”
Nevertheless, it is clear that the art world must face up to these challenges in order to remain relevant.

Karlsruhe – good cooperation between culture, business, science and administration

It should be emphasized that the future does not lie in digitalization, but that digitalization has long been an integral part of our lives. “Especially in a city like Karlsruhe, which has a strong focus on technology, it is therefore important that all relevant institutions exchange ideas with each other. This is the only way to create something relevant instead of everyone staying in their own bubble.”

In general, Huskamp describes the cooperation between culture, business, science and administration in the fan-shaped city as extremely lively. “Initiatives such as karlsruhe.digital and events such as the KIT Science Week or the Colourful Night of Digitalization, which make technological progress visible and tangible for the public, also contribute to this,” she adds.

“I haven’t been here that long, but I quickly realized that the city lives what it stands for. There is an incredible amount of dynamism here and the distances are short.” Huskamp appreciates this unique mix, which makes Karlsruhe so special and contributes to the city’s high quality of life and innovative strength: “Ideas can be implemented quickly and synergies can be used efficiently.”

Always a question of participation

And it is precisely these ideas that are needed. Just the morning of the interview, a newspaper article that warned of the “dangers of digitalization” caught our eye at breakfast. We are interested in Huskamp’s assessment of this topic.

“If you ask me directly, I see a risk that digitalization will not take society as a whole with it,” she replies. It is always a question of participation: “You not only have to understand the technologies and their benefits, but also be able to afford access to them, for example in the form of modern smartphones or tablets.” At the same time, there is no alternative to digitalization.

A close-up of a digital mind

A glance at the clock reveals that our appointment is now irrevocably coming to an end. High time to find out a little more about Helga Huskamp’s digital mind. We are keen to find out what a normal working day looks like for her. She smiles slightly and tells us frankly: “My day usually starts at 9 a.m. and 80 percent of it consists of appointments.” She is often out and about in Karlsruhe, but also in Stuttgart to maintain her network. This is followed by classic desk work, sometimes until 7 pm. It is not uncommon for an event to follow.

We ask ourselves, and speak the question out loud: “Is there any time left to switch off in private?” The answer comes promptly: “Of course!” replies Huskamp. “The best way for me to do that is by swimming and cycling or going to the opera and cinema with friends.” But the ZKM itself also plays a role in her free time: “I like coming here as a private person and visiting the exhibitions, especially on Sunday afternoons. Then I take the time to walk through our building and look at everything in peace and quiet that I don’t manage to do in my everyday life.” In these moments, when she strolls through the familiar halls of the ZKM, she can switch off and recharge her batteries – a nice balance to her intensive professional life.

And for us, a wonderful conclusion to such an exciting conversation, because now it really is time to stop keeping Ms. Huskamp from her actual work. On the way out, we take one last look at the large, light-flooded halls of the ZKM. We say goodbye and get on our bikes. On the way home, we think for a while about our conversation with Helga Huskamp and the ZKM, a Karlsruhe institution that stands like no other for the fascinating combination of art, culture and technology far beyond the city – and even the state borders.

Cover picture: Felix Gruenschloss