WERKZEUGE DES ANSTIFTENS

WERKZEUGE DES ANSTIFTENS makes local design processes in Darmstadt visible and tangible. At its core is the question: How can collective tools – such as the Office of the City Photographer or other participatory formats – promote democratic participation and cultural diversity? The project responds to the need to make these often invisible resources accessible and usable as instruments for collective engagement.

For four weeks, a modular banner exhibition at Friedensplatz will present selected tools (chosen via an Open Call). Weekly activities and events invite visitors to try out these tools themselves, making design tangible as a shared, collective practice—not only as an aesthetic process, but as a means to actively shape one’s own environment.

In cooperation with the Schader Foundation, representatives from science, politics, and culture will discuss how these tools can foster sustainable, democratic living environments. The project combines exhibition, participation, and reflection, showing that design is an invitation to engage—with intention.

Everyone can participate: as visitors to the exhibition, participants in the activities, or contributors to the final discussion. The goal is to raise awareness of design as a collective practice and to establish these tools as living instruments of the city community.

Practical information about the exhibition:

The modular exhibition will take place in the public space on Friedensplatz and will be open to the public free of charge (24/7) from 11 September to 9 October 2026. Accompanying events, workshops, and guided tours will be announced separately. The exhibition is in German and partly in English.

The Friedensplatz is right next to the tram stop Schloss and not far from the central Luisenplatz. The square is completely barrier-free, as the entire area is located in the public domain without any thresholds. There is a car park directly underneath the square.

The Werkbundakademie Darmstadt (registered association) initiates the project as an independent, non-profit platform for artistic research and urban design. Partners include the Schader Foundation as well as selected Darmstadt-based institutions and actors from the independent cultural scene, engaged through an Open Call. Together, they make local tools for civic participation visible and tangible.