Original Englisch. Keine Deutsche Fassung vorhanden.
„Anyone who wishes to do so, alone or in association with others, can take responsibility for commissioning a work from an artist“. Can this fundamental idea of the New Patrons‘ Protocol be universal in scope, when the notion of the universal has been corrupted by the colonial fantasy of Western societies, which believed themselves entitled to dictate their own criteria of value to the whole globe?
But this protocol was not conceived as a lesson to the world, but as an answer to a question. In a democracy like France, what policy can be pursued to best respond to the reality of cultural needs? And it was only when it appeared that a remarkable response could be provided thanks to this Protocol designed by an artist, that this mode of action was gradually proposed and taken up in neighboring European countries, and then beyond.
So, a protocol like this for everyone? Is it possible? Is it even desirable? Like Solomon, I would say yes and no. No, because nothing and no one should ever claim to hold the truth or represent the world? No, because in many parts of the world, practical local and especially international realities give us no reason to dream. What’s more, there’s no reason to believe that everyone will be interested. But in principle, and this is what matters, I say yes. Yes, because it is in the very wording of the protocol that it is claimed to be open to all: „It (this protocol) offers any member of civil society who so wishes, without exception and in any place, n alone or in association with others, the means to assume responsibility for a commission for an artist’s work“.
We can also simply point out that it is common to many societies to use protocols to govern certain aspects of life in a way that is reliable, recognised and shared by all. Take marriage, for example, where a third party performs the act of uniting two people in front of an audience to give their couple a legitimate existence. In diplomacy, protocols govern relations – who is invited, who stands where, who says what and when – to avoid confusion and misunderstanding. The whole concept of political representation is hard to imagine without established protocols. Is it possible to imagine a voyage to the Moon or Mars that is not governed by rigorous protocols? In fact, we live, more than we realise, in the age of protocols. And isn’t it thanks to IP (Internet Protocol) that the whole world can now be networked?
Finally, in view of the diversity of situations in which it has proved effective, the New Patrons‘ Protocol can indeed be considered to have a universal dimension. It can also be universal because it is not a law or a dogma, it was not designed to be relevant in principle but as a proposal for people to agree to act in ways that can be adapted at any time or abandoned. In short, the limits of the protocol are the limits of its usefulness in the cultures and societies in which it is decided to implement it. And no one knows where these limits lie (1), the very existence of which is a matter of speculation, because the field of possible control objects can encompass any form of human creation: it is virtually infinite.
For the past 15 years, I’ve been leading the development of New Patrons in Germany with a team that now numbers 18 people, and because of the interest that our work has aroused, I’m finding myself increasingly invested with the role of ambassador. An ambassador who is asked: „Can the New Patrons‘ Protocol be implemented here too? Can we give it a try? My answer is always „Yes“. I know that if I can say so, it’s only a hope, because those who ask me often have neither money nor power, sometimes don’t live in Europe or are far from cultural or democratic institutions that could help them, in confidence. I know that the protocol works well in other European countries, as attested by the thousands of people from all walks of life who together have commissioned and carried out hundreds of projects worth over a hundred million euros, which is a lot for an independent, non-governmental cultural programme. But can it work just as well for all thosewho ask me questions, whether they are Polish or Russian, in Beirut or Tunis, Lagos or Johannesburg, Colombian, Cuban, American or Icelandic? I just don’t know.
And yet I say yes, simply because everywhere in the world there are people with needs, and everywhere inart and culture there are practices – however different – that respond to them. Because there is no shortage of artists who can contribute their skills and intelligence to a community to create forms that are meaningful not only for themselves but also for others. Because, finally, there are resources for action everywhere, not necessarily money because it is unfairly distributed, but it is rare that any action proves absolutely impossible. (2)
In Germany, the New Patrons‘ Protocol is increasingly taken seriously, discussed (3) and practised, precisely because it reinforces the country’s democratic culture. Politicians, foundations and the media, and above all the general public, have a growing understanding of it. The Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft has even officially recognised it as a forward-looking innovation in cultural policy. To help us get off the ground, we received decisive support from the foundation set up by the Ministry of Culture, the Kulturstiftung des Bundes, and from the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, another renowned state institution. And to help us respond torequests for information and methodological assistance from Eastern and Northern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, we receive support from the Goethe Institute.
That said, nothing is certain! Although in Germany, as in other European countries, political decision-makers welcome the participation of citizens and the commitment of artists, and although it is currentpractice to proclaim that „cultural policy is social policy“, these are still all too often empty words. In reality, managers of public and private resources are still reluctant to make citizen initiative in the arts possible, on a scale that would be truly significant for society. And without resources, nothing decisive can be achieved.
While we have been able to observe that in Germany, France and elsewhere, in both urban and rural areas and in all social milieus, the New Patrons‘ Protocol is operating and is an asset for democracy as much as for contemporary creation, this observation is of little significance without the political will to continue to work on the democratic project itself. Without seeking a better redistribution of decision-making powers, privilegesand resources in favour of those who want to make good use of these powers, privileges and resources for the good of the community, we will make no progress. We will remain stuck in a crisis of representation that threatens democracies around the world that we thought were established.
Fortunately, it’s nice to imagine that the democratic project is capable of making progress and that more andmore of us can work tirelessly to ensure that in the future the answer to the question „Can we too implement the New Patrons‘ Protocol?“ is a resounding yes!
(1) On this subject, in one of my seminars at the Universität der Künste in Berlin, students from China asked whether the Protocol could work or make sense in their country. Their unanimous answer was „no“, and then their diagnosischanged after simulating several project scenarios. A diagnosis that I am not in a position to evaluate, only to report.
(2) In 2021, despite their extreme poverty, the inhabitants of a Pygmy village in Cameroon carried out a remarkable New Patrons‘ project with the help of anthropologist Germain Loumpet, who took on the role of mediator-producer and received support for this pilot project from the Goethe Institut and the Fondation de France.
(3) In the public debate, we take particular care to preserve the ethics of the Protocol and its high artistic standards, in the face of the misinterpretation that certain political parties might make of it under the slogan „At last a popular culture that is not in the hands of the elites!“ or „German art at the service of the German people!“. The New Patrons’Protocol is open for all to access, so anyone can appropriate it and ask art to express stupid or even nauseating ideas. Which it is perfectly capable of doing!
Alexander Koch
Erschienen in: François Hers, Opération Nouveaux Commanditaires, Paris 2023