The social network lumbung.space allows experiments for the development of independent and sustainable media practices, while the ruruHaus website interconnects the Kassel ekosistem.
lumbung.space is an online platform by and for lumbung members and lumbung artists. ruruHaus.de, the ruruHaus website, connects the Kassel ekosistem and enables it to gather and share resources. Like lumbung.space, ruruHaus.de is an experiment that tests out how a shared living room might develop in the digital space. March 29, 2021, saw the first version of the ruruHaus website go live. This was followed on April 29, 2022, by the launch of lumbung.space.
lumbung.space
Many of the artists and collectives invited to documenta fifteen are located far away from each other, in different contexts that have their own vulnerabilities. Because COVID-19 made it difficult to meet in person, lumbung.space was created as an experimental social and publishing tool. Like a vibrant archive and digital living room, the platform allows for connection, support, and the sharing of knowledge.
The aim of lumbung.space is to create a digital infrastructure maintained by the lumbung network itself that is not dependent on exploitative digital infrastructures. The platform is, therefore, a highly topical experiment that tests out what an artist-run digital space might look like.
As a method of collective documentation, harvesting (from discussions and meetings) is one of the core elements of the lumbung building process. lumbung.space allows this collective harvest to be shared. The platform consists of several tools for publishing and sharing knowledge. Its infrastructure allows private, semi-public, and public communication through lumbung tv, lumbung social, nongkrong.lumbung.space, lumbung pen, panduan.lumbung.space, books.lumbung.space, cloud.lumbung, and lumbung shouts. Furthermore, extensions for the lumbung Gallery and lumbung Kios are planned.
lumbung tv enables the sharing and streaming of videos. lumbung social is an internal network where lumbung members and lumbung artists can hang out, share aspects of their everyday lives and work with one another, and publish parts of it to a wider audience. nongkrong.lumbung.space is a chat room where people can connect and conduct online meetings. lumbung pen is designed for the publication of longer texts, while panduan.lumbung.space is a shared notebook for writing, discussing, and editing documents collectively. In the digital library books.lumbung.space, network members can read publications and swap ideas. cloud.lumbung.space is a shared file storage. Additionally, content can be published on the shared home page of lumbung.space, which also features updates from the websites of lumbung members and lumbung artists, known as lumbung shouts.
lumbung.space was conceptualized and developed together with Roel Roscam Abbing, an artist and doctoral candidate in Interaction Design at Malmö University, and the Autonomic technology cooperative. Their work for lumbung.space is part of the Co-op Cloud initiative, which allows other collectives to set up similar infrastructures.
ruruHaus.de
The ruruHaus website groups together all activities and events attached to ruruHaus and publishes artistic contributions by lumbung members and lumbung artists. The website also hosts lumbung Radio’s livestream and news from members of the Kassel ekosistem.
The open-ended process behind the ruruHaus website was developed by the student collective kmmn_practice, which has been working in and with ruruHaus since 2020. kmmn_practice was one of the winning teams in the student competition initiated by documenta fifteen to develop its visual identity. Through the website, the collective implements its concept of a participatory platform. Currently, the website is jointly operated by initiatives and organizations of the Kassel ekosistem and the coordinators of ruruHaus.
After documenta fifteen, the ruruHaus and lumbung.space websites will most likely be merged.