"Kulturmaschine" promotes dialogue on art and culture in rural areas

Art offerings for people with special needs, theatre workshops for school classes or a cinema for the blind: with social innovations, artists and cultural professionals want to create new forms of expression or facilitate access to art for all social classes. For municipalities and communities, they have the potential to attract new citizens or improve the quality of life of residents.

The SIKUL research project at Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (H-BRS) is investigating how such social innovations are created in rural areas and what initiators need to bring to the table in order to be successful. In the first phase, the researchers therefore interviewed people who have already launched projects or are in the process of doing so. "We realised that many people in rural areas long for places where they can come together and exchange ideas with others. In many villages, there are no longer any shops, bars or other meeting places. And there are people who have the energy and resources to create something new," says researcher Milena Kriegsmann-Rabe.

In addition to organisational aspects, such as the availability of premises or financial knowledge, personal contacts also determine whether a project is successful or not. "What quickly became clear in the conversations: You can't plan everything at a desk. And without the support of politicians and administrators, it is very difficult to achieve anything," says Kriegsmann-Rabe.

The researchers transferred the results from the interviews to the self-built culture machine, which they are currently using to engage in dialogue with citizens at cultural events. At successive stations, interested parties can indicate what they would like for their place of residence, use a joystick to set which useful contacts they have, or have a punch card punched out to indicate what helpful knowledge they have.

In addition to the opportunity to use the machine to engage in dialogue with citizens about research, the researchers are also delighted if the exchange encourages people to become active themselves: "Our machine is designed to be fun and generate enthusiasm - one of the basic prerequisites for new cultural initiatives in the countryside," says Kriegsmann-Rabe.

Background

"Social innovations in art and culture as a factor for resilience and cultural participation in structurally weak rural areas: a case study approach to research impact mechanisms" (SIKUL) is a project of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Innovation and SMEs (CENTIM) at H-BRS. It is funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).