Workshop: Deciding Together, Caring Together – International Perspectives on Solidarity-Based Cultural Production 10.6.2026

When discussing solidarity-based cultural production in Germany, an international perspective is essential. Practices that have already been successfully implemented elsewhere could soon become viable here as well, particularly when it comes to alternative forms of governance and organisation.

The workshop will include short inputs by Gabriella Riccio (L’Asilo, Naples) and others (tba). L’Asilo in Naples is a self-managed, independent centre for artistic, cultural and social production. It emerged in 2012 through the occupation of a former orphanage by artists and activists and is widely recognised as a pioneering cultural commons project. Its model of self-governance has been formally recognised by the city through a Commons–Public-Partnership and has inspired the development of further cultural commons in Naples.

In this workshop, we explore how collective decision-making and care are interconnected. Who makes decisions, and how are they legitimised? Who takes on the often invisible work of communication, conflict resolution or emotional support? How can we prevent these responsibilities from falling disproportionately on a few individuals? Together, we will discuss how governance models such as consensus-based decision-making, sociocratic circles or hybrid forms of participation can work in practice, and how care can be more fairly distributed and structurally embedded. How can we create structures that are viable in the long term without overburdening those involved?

Moderators
Benedikt Stoll – Urbane Praxis e.V.
Sarah Waterfeld, Falk Lörcher – Union for Cultural Commons
Janet Merkel – TU Berlin, Institute for Urban and Regional Planning, Department of Urban and Regional Planning

Inputs
Gabriella Riccio – L’Asilo, Naples
tba

Registration