Aric Chen:
From Ideas to Enactment – Cultural Institutions as Testing Grounds

Aric Chen’s lecture is a compelling call for a culture of action. According to Chen, Director of the Zaha Hadid Foundation, museums must recognise themselves more clearly as agents of change – not least because, as publicly funded institutions, they already serve as “third places” with the potential to act as testing grounds or experimental spaces.
He is particularly concerned with extending ideas developed within the museum context and translating them into collaborative, civil-society learning processes. One example he points to is Zoöp, a governance model that gives voice to non-human perspectives and interests in decision-making, thereby ensuring that ecological and regenerative aspects are duly considered.
For Chen, change does not mean a radical new beginning that risks alienating audiences or undermining institutional identity. Rather, it can be seamlessly integrated into everyday practice – without the need for additional resources or personnel.