Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe
As a cultural
institution, the Center for Art and Media (ZKM) in Karlsruhe holds a unique
position in the world. It responds to the rapid developments in information
technology and today's
changing social structures. Its work combines production and research, exhibitions
and events, coordination and documentation. For
the development of interdisciplinary projects and promotion of international
collaborations, the Center for Art and Media has manifold resources at its
disposal: the Museum for Contemporary Art, the Media Museum, the Institute
for Visual Media, the Institute for Music and
Acoustics and two new departments - the Institute for Basic Research and the
Institute for Web Developments.
Under the
direction of Prof. Peter Weibel since 1999, the Center for Art and Media probes
new media in theory and practice, tests their potential with in-house developments,
presents possible uses in exemplary form and promotes debate on the form our
information society is taking.
Working closely with the State Academy for Design in Karlsruhe and other institutes,
the Center for Art and Media provides a forum for science, art, politics and
finance. In a spacious
ambiente, visitors can enjoy events and tours, view public exhibitions or
visit the Mediathek. The Center is a platform for experimentation and discussion,
with a mission to
participate actively in working towards the future and engage in the ongoing
debate about the sensible and meaningful use of technology.
Beginnings
The founding
of the Center for Art and Media can be traced back to the year 1980, when
the idea for a media arts center first came into being. By 1986, a project
group had been organized,
consisting of local politicians and representatives of the university, the
State Music Academy, the Center for Nuclear Research and other institutions
in Karlsruhe. In "Concept 88", they described their vision for bringing
together art and the new media in theory and practice.
In 1988, the government of the province of Baden-Württemberg, led by Minister President Lothar Späth, voted to establish the Center for Art and Media as a foundation incorporated under public law. With the establishment of the foundation's council in 1989 and the appointment of Prof. Heinrich Klotz as founding director, the realization of a Center for Art and Media started to take form.
Originally,
the Center was to be housed in a new building on a site south of Karlsruhe's
train station. However, implementing the plans of Dutch architect Rem Kohlhaas
would have exceeded the allotted budget by far. After long and heated debate,
the idea of a new construction was
abandoned. Instead, a historic monument was chosen - the vast edifice of a
former munitions
factory, "Industrial Works Karlsruhe Augsburg", was to become the
home of the new Center for Art and Media. Architects Schweger & Partner
undertook planning, reconstruction and renovation, converting a structure
of dominating, static monumentality into a building ideally suited to presenting
advanced technologies and artistic experiments. In the early phases of its
founding and construction, the Center's offices were scattered across the
entire city. Nonetheless, events such as the series "ZKM in the Factory"
and the media art festival Multimediale with the Siemens Media Arts Award,
gave audiences a chance to experience the broad spectrum of the Center's work
even before it opened its doors in 1997.
