Zukunftslabor (Future Lab)
(c) Seda Demiriz, Future Lab - Visions and directions for the regional independent dance and performance scene
The Zukunftslabor is ID_Tanzhaus Frankfurt Rhein-Main’s think tank for imagining and designing the future together.
In the context of a moderated discussion, the Zukunftslabor invites you to discuss pressing issues such as sustainable production infrastructures for the local independent dance and performance scene, funding and resources, availability and distribution of rehearsal spaces, and access to production support and performance venues.
The goal is to develop visions and perspectives together, to find ideas and solutions. We would be happy if you feel inspired to actively shape the dance and performative future of the local scene and get into conversation with us!
What are burning issues for you?
Since 2021, four moderated Future Labs have taken place. The sessions and their topics have been determined with members of the community and the ID_Tanzhaus FRM team.
Future Labs are held in English and in German. Participation is open to members of the freelance dance and performance community in Frankfurt Rhein-Main. Participants are paid 25 Euro/Hour (brutto).
On 31.03.23, 31 participants talked about the topic of money.
The fourth Future Lab was a collaboration with Produktionsbande - the starting point for the discussion was the minimum wage and the matrix proposed by the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs. The four-hour meeting took place online to enable more people to participate. We worked mainly in small groups and asked ourselves (among others) the following questions:
- How do I calculate a production with fair payment for all project participants? What do I have to specifically pay attention to?
- How do I negotiate my fee? How do I negotiate the fee for others?
- What can a collective calculation look like?
The thoughts of the participants were collected in each of the small groups on a metroretro board and then discussed in the large group (see photos). Finally, we compiled concrete demands on the production level and on the cultural policy level.
These were, for example, on the production level: renegotiation of changes, planning of a buffer budget, transparency, more exchange with the artists.
On the cultural policy level, the demands included: To finally consider art as a proper profession, to revise the KSK and make it more accessible, to improve the infrastructure for artistic work.
We would like to thank all the people who took part and we are already looking forward to the next Zukunftlabor!
At the third Future Lab on 21 May 2022, we talked about dance-specific requests for the list of demands of the Coalition of the Free Scene.
The event was attended by 22 people, including spokespersons for the Coalition of the Free Scene Frankfurt, namely Gal Fefferman (dance/choreography) and Jan Deck (performing arts).
We started the discussion with an assessment of the current situation and based on that we collected needs of the local independent scene. We talked about funding/financing and the spatial infrastructure - in this context, the lack of offers in the following areas was highlighted in particular:
- residency programmes, including those that involve a final showing
- more space to present independently developed projects, uncurated performance spaces
- more space for dancers (and others that work in the field) to exchange and connect with each other.
The screenshots below offer further insight into the notes collected. It was a very productive Future Lab and we would like to thank all participants once again for their time, energy and all the wise thoughts they shared with us.
During our two-day online Future Lab in June 2021, the question of the project's name was raised: What could be an appropriate title be for a project as diverse as ours, designed to engage both dance creators and interested audiences? Fifteen freelance, local dance and performance professionals came together in December to discuss this issue.
We broke down the parts of the title: FRM, Haus, Tanz, and ID. We considered how the title is working and where it is failing or generating more questions. We finished by suggesting new titles which led us to brainstorm phrases that could become a tagline, subtitle, or mission statement for the project. These were compiled into a survey and passed around again for further feedback.
In the frame of June 2021’s Zukunftslabor, different wishes, visions and needs were discussed by 23 participants. Topics included: Spaces, How to Collaborate, Inner Organization, Sharing Infrastructures, Outreach, and Representation. From these topics, groups worked on developing pitches for the future of the ID_Tanzhaus FRM initiative.
These, as well as 2021 programs, were synthesized into a survey completed by 38 local artists and ID_Frankfurt members. The results were used to develop concepts for Nov. 2021-Dec. 2022.
Thanks to those who participated. Your feedback is valuable.