18th of May – 14th of July 2019

The art project Ludwigshafen hums and buzzes (18th of May – 14th of July 2019) wishes to call attention to the relationship between humankind and nature by means of an exhibition as well as an intervention in the public space of the city of Ludwigshafen (Germany). The project is concerned with the pollinator decline which has been observed over the last decades and has resulted in a considerabel reduction in the number of flying insects. The goal of Ludwigshafen hums and buzzes is to sensitize the city’s inhabitants to these problems and to increase awareness of the important role of insects maintaining the ecological balance.

The project will start on 18th of May 2019 with the opening of the exhibition at the Wilhelm-Hack-Museum‘s Rudolf-Scharpf-Galerie, a venue serving predominantly as project and exhibition space for contemporary art. Prior to the opening of the show, flower strips designed by artists will be laid out in the spring for insects on the adjacent public green spaces in the city’s Hemshof district. In addition, artistic interventions, workshops and sowing actions integrating the city’s residents will take place. With the participation of Ludwigshafen’s citizens, perspectives for a sustainable urban development for and with insects will be demonstrated.

Ludwigshafen hums and buzzes deals with the question posed by the BASF SE TOR 4 cultural sponsorship programme titled "Why is everything getting better?" It is the intention of BASF SE to stimulate the discourse in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan area with TOR 4. Sixteen projects have been chosen that respond on the question posed by the company from the perspective of music, dance, literature and the fine arts. 

Curators: Theresia Kiefer, Verena Zinser