We Cannot Say That We Have Arrived Somewhere, Yet Neither Can We Say That We Haven’t—A Glossary of Commoning Terms

The Art Space Unlimited project has come to a close–the publication We Cannot Say That We Have Arrived Somewhere, Yet Neither Can We Say That We Haven’t—A Glossary of Commoning Terms has been released

OFF-Biennale Budapest is pleased to announce the successful completion of the Art Space Unlimited project. Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting our international partners in Budapest, and as the closing event of our collaboration, we presented the jointly edited publication titled We Cannot Say That We Have Arrived Somewhere, Yet Neither Can We Say That We Haven’t—A Glossary of Commoning Terms.

In the framework of the Art Space Unlimited project five independent, socially and politically engaged art spaces—La Escocesa (Barcelona), OFF-Biennale Budapest), < rotor > (Graz), Shtatëmbëdhjetë / Foundation 17 (Pristina), and tranzit.cz (Prague)—worked together over the past eighteen months. We implemented various community-based and participatory programs with the goal of opening our institutions toward people who, for various reasons, have difficult, complicated, disabled, or limited access to art, whether as creators, participants, or viewers. Our shared desire and effort has focused on transforming our institutional practice in order to become more empathetic, understanding, and open to people with diverse needs, experiences, and social backgrounds.

In this context OFF-Biennale worked together with civil organisations based in District 8 (Józsefváros), along with their communities and interested residents, to design and build together the community meeting space AllinOne at Kálvária Square. The project was realized as part of this year’s OFF-Biennale exhibition program and will be open to visitors until the end of August 2025.

As a summary of the Art Space Unlimited cooperation project we published a book in six languages featuring terms and glossary entries that served as guides and reference points for the partners throughout the process. Rather than relying on overused concepts such as inclusion or participation, in the publication titled We Cannot Say That We Have Arrived Somewhere, Yet Neither Can We Say That We Haven’t—A Glossary of Commoning Terms we reflected on our experiences and dilemmas arising from our environments and the local contexts.

The glossary attempts to provide a hands-on and personal overview of experiences in the field

of art mediation, and it maps the starting points and pitfalls faced by those organising such activities. Using practical examples, readers will learn how to build relationships with communities living in different social and sociocultural environments, how to handle conflict, and how to transform event spaces and programming so that they don’t only meet the needs of the majority and able-bodied population. The glossary is intended primarily for cultural workers, mediators, educators, curators, and artists as well as anyone who asks themselves similar questions and who seeks to develop responsive and mindful public programs.

The contents of the book are freely accessible on the website www.emotional-labor.eu, and all language versions (Albanian, Czech, English, German, Hungarian, and Spanish) can be downloaded, printed, and accessed as e-books free of charge. The glossary is available for use under the Creative Commons license.

The book was published as part of the project Art Space Unlimited co-financed by the European Union/European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). 

* The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.

The implementation of the AllinOne community architecture project was supported by the EU Creative Europe Programme / European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), the Our Common Values Programme / Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV), Praktiker Kft., Sika Hungary Kft. and the Józsefváros Municipality.

* The European Commission’s support for this project does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the project implementers, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.