Theory arena is an immersive sculptural assembly in which cultural policy (studies/research) theories are presented to and discussed with students at Cultural Campus “Domäne Marienburg” and a wider audience of international cultural policy researchers and local partners of the art and cultural scene. The theory arena combines cultural studies theories with artistic insights in a sculptural park that can be experienced and walked through. As such the presented thoughts, findings and questions can be experienced physically and digitally and contribute to multi perspective perception and learnings. International guests of the other activities of the project are invited as keynote speakers and workshop facilitators to share their perspectives, live or online, and open up new international perspectives to the cultural and scientific discourses.
The theory arena ist part of the Co-Teaching Concept where international artists and researchers are invited to develop a concept with the scientific staff of the University of Hildesheim and local students. The format contributes to the idea of opening up a space for presenting and discussing new perceptions and experiments with innovative ways in which cognitive thoughts can be transferred into other settings of perception by using artistic strategies. A further goal of the theory arena is to reflect the theoretical canon which is used and repeated by academics, often without putting in the work to explore new poscolonial, poststructural, female, posthuman perspective which are necessarily needed to come to new knowledge and innovative concepts for cultural leadership, art practice, cultural policy structures, global issues, such as sustainability, vanishing of democracy and rebuilding of borders worldwide. The first course (winter) focuses on poststructual theories and artistic strategies, the second course (Summer) will focus on the practical implementation of theory arena 2022 at Domäne Marienburg.