Patrons: Hannah Japes, Ferial Haas, Florian Buntfuss, Dirk Wein, Ben Hille, Arne Hübner, Alexander Maier, Moritz Zimmer
Commission: We are seeking a publicly visible artistic work that strengthens the nightlife community and the Clubkollektiv through visibility. The work should foster cohesion within the scene, highlight the benefits of membership, address issues of social relevance, and reflect the complexity of nightlife culture.
We envision a permanent and/or repeatable, sustainable artwork—both in its impact and in its use of resources—that endures over time. The artistic work may take the form of a sculpture, an installation, or a usable public space. We explicitly exclude additional sticker or plaque campaigns, as well as one-off artistic actions.
Mediator: Boglàrka Pap
Period: 2025 ongoing
Stuttgart’s nightlife and music venues are operating in an increasingly strained economic environment. Revenue declines of around 30 per cent are no longer exceptional; many stakeholders carry significant risks while working with very limited financial margins.
At the same time, clubs and music venues fulfil a social role that extends far beyond entertainment. They are places of encounter, social exchange and cultural diversity. As accessible spaces for creativity and interaction, they make a vital contribution to urban cohesion. While their importance is clearly felt in everyday life, it is often not recognised to the extent that reflects their actual impact on living together in the city.
This tension gives rise to the commission for a permanent artwork in public space. Rather than addressing the economic challenges of nightlife, the work aims to make its social value visible and to strengthen public awareness of its contribution.
The artwork is intended to highlight what nightlife and music venues provide for the city: an infrastructure for creativity, community and social openness. It functions as a gesture of recognition and as an impulse towards a more conscious and appreciative engagement with this form of urban culture.
The Clubkollektiv Stuttgart advocates for a broad understanding, active support and long-term safeguarding of nightlife culture. It connects venue operators, event organisers, municipal authorities and the public, offers guidance on structural challenges, mediates conflicts and initiates city-wide processes.
Against this backdrop, the artwork is conceived not as a decorative object, but as a public statement: confident, solidaristic and collective. It makes visible that responsibility for nightlife culture is not only shared, but can be actively valued and upheld.
