“We are moving […] toward [a world] in which everyone has a more active stake in the culture that is produced.“ (Jenkins et al. 2006, S. 10) 
(* 4 )
Artistic practice as one form of cultural production exhibits a central feature that relates it to the irritation of what is described as “common sense“ (Van den Berg 2008: 79) (* 13 ). As such, contemporary art can be understood as a “seismograph“ of social development(s). In grappling with the reflection of the status quo and in the observation and analysis of existing social situations, contemporary artistic practices can allow for and generate new viewpoints.
In this sense, the starting points for the research project “P/ART/ICIPATE“ are on the one hand contemporary artistic strategies and practices which aim to initiate social and cultural change, and on the other hand the understanding of „culture“ in the field of cultural studies. The research project investigates how individuals and social groups position themselves within the „circuit of culture“ (Johnson 1985 (* 6 ), 1986 (* 7 ); Johnson et al. 2004 (* 8 ); du Gay et al. 1997 (* 1 )) in a way that is not “just happening“, but can be actively and collaboratively influenced and shaped by them within the context of a multi-layered „matrix of cultural production“ – as we call it.
Picture: © Melanie Maddison
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