Why a blog?
Haus der Kunst is committed to examining the history and stories of contemporary art. Our work focuses on exhibitions, research and the transfer of knowledge. The museum’s six exhibition spaces and its numerous accompanying events make it an extremely lively place, where there is never a quiet day. There are many more stories to tell than are initially obvious in our exhibition rooms. Artists are on site working personally on projects, and large teams set up and take down exhibitions. In addition to their research work conducted here, our curators also travel frequently to visit artists’ studios, international art exhibitions and lenders. Much of the work for our exhibitions takes place behind the scenes, usually out of view from our visitors. With this new blog we bring all these stories to light and tell them!
As a new internet-based communication channel and mediation platform, the blog allows us to let our online community participate in the development of our exhibitions and events in the international art scene and to convey the content of Haus der Kunst in diverse ways. So: Stretch your view!
Who writes the articles?
The blog is primarily written by those who best know what is going on here in Haus der Kunst and by those who are examining on the latest topics and mounting exhibitions of contemporary art, i.e. the Haus der Kunst staff. The blog is mainly created by the digital communication department in cooperation with our curatorial team. Other employees and independent authors will also contribute to the blog, provide a look behind the scenes and share their current projects with the users. In the longer term, we would also like to provide a digital platform for artistic positions.
Who is our audience?
Our online community is growing rapidly; our social media channels currently have nearly 90,000 fans and followers; and the Haus der Kunst website had more than 1.5 million online visits last year. We wish to do justice to these developments and provide content tailored for our online community. The blog is designed for our regular audience in Munich, who wants to be closer to the action and learn more about our work and the institution, as well as for our German and international community, whom we will keep informed ‘remotely’ about Haus der Kunst and the current contemporary art scene. The different types of contributions are designed for a broad audience and offer varied approaches to contemporary art.
What are we writing about?
The blog focuses on our exhibitions; it informs and deepens the reader’s understanding of the content and topics of current exhibitions and artists. We have established the following categories for subject-specific and discipline-specific access to the blog’s content:
Context In the context of current exhibitions, we publish short scholarly articles, including the research results of our curators and freelance contributors, as part of the exhibition preparations.
Interviews In addition to our exhibiting artists, many other renowned international art world personalities, scholars, experts and artists visit the exhibition house, often only for events such as lectures, performances and artist talks. In addition to our numerous video documentations, these encounters, visits and events will from now on also be captured on the blog.
Community Part of the blog is dedicated to the creativity of our community and is open to participatory approaches. Here we will share select contributions from our visitors on the current exhibitions or the building’s architecture, as well as accompany Instagram campaigns or community events.
Digital In this section we will inform about innovations in the digital area, new projects and functions and open a perspective on the institution’s digital strategy.
Behind the scenes / travel: In travel reports and on studio visits, our curators and staff will provide insights into their research and plans for future projects and report on national and international art events such as openings, biennials and festivals.
How does the blog relate to other online channels?
The blog “Stretch Your View” is embedded in the website hausderkunst.de and is intended as a connecting element between the website and online communication via our social media channels. The blog is directly accessible at the URL hausderkunst.de/blog, and the articles are also linked via the associated artist and exhibition pages. On social media, the blog articles are shared via the social channels Facebook, Twitter and on Instagram Stories under the hashtags #stretchyourview and #BlogHDK.
Why now?
This is not Haus der Kunst’s first blog. In recent years, various blogs and microsites have successfully accompanied exhibitions such as “Ai Weiwei. So Sorry” and “Postwar” and are still online. In addition to these project-related blogs, we would now like to establish another continuous communication channel that focuses on specific topics and makes these permanently accessible.
What’s next?
We understand the blog as a dynamic communication tool that will continue to develop. In this process we would like the foci of our new designated artistic director, Dr. Andrea Lissoni (as of April 2020), to be naturally incorporated and reflected. The blog is as vibrant as the projects and people who work here.
Lilli Christoph-Homberg is responsible for the Digital Communication at Haus der Kunst.