▫️ to develop a shared, in-depth understanding of the cultural economy in the digital age, and the specific forms of exploitation it relies on.
▫️ to build a common vocabulary on solidarity economies in the arts; concretely, a common-pool repository featuring historical and contemporary initiatives that have somehow changed the social and economic rules of the cultural economy.
▫️ to develop a concrete, actionable proposal for the long-term implementation of an alternative income model for art workers.

We welcome people with backgrounds in art and culture (any role), design, tech, writing, publishing, academia, law, labor organising, or any other relevant discipline. We value curiosity and critical reflection, as well as past experiences in self-organising, economic experiments, social & system design, and political engagement. We will select some people with technical expertise, some people with organising backgrounds, and some people with a good understanding of the cultural economy, creating a group with a transdisciplinary collective skill set.

For logistical reasons, only people based in and around the EU can apply to this lab.

The exact technologies used will depend on the participants’ expertise and interests. These may include:

▫️ Books.
▫️ Any technology geared toward creating speculative blueprints and proofs-of-concept, such as writing, speech, and design (graphic, process, information).
▫️ Any technology geared toward community governance, such as communication environments and voting systems.
▫️ Blockchain/Web3. Geert and Sepp have no technical skills, but they can draw on lessons from a decade of experiments with art and crypto in the MoneyLab network.
▫️ Publishing and printing technologies, in case there is interest in the dissemination of the collected or generated materials.

Block 1 – Collective Vocabulary Sessions (online) We explore alternative models art workers already practice: co-ops, DAOs, community currencies, fair pay guidelines, trade unions, and more. Through case studies, theory, and shared reflection, we build a collective vocabulary for everyone working in the arts. At the end of this block, the group selects one model to develop further.

Block 2 – October 2026: Design Sprint (Berlin) We meet in Berlin for a 3-day sprint to prototype a future scenario for cultural work in the age of platform brutality. Outcomes might include a speculative business model, a community currency whitepaper, a hack of the ticketing system, or the seeds of a credit cooperative. We work with real urgencies, toward real change.

Block 3 – November/December 2026: Implementation + Festival Prep (online) We regroup online to coordinate follow-up from the sprint, including first steps toward implementing our prototype. We also develop our presentation for the festival: a workshop and a panel discussion.

Block 4 – January 2027: Presentation at transmediale (Berlin) We present our work through a workshop, a panel conversation, and potentially an alternative format that reflects the economic model we propose.

Block 5 – Indefinite: The Long Haul The Solidarity Economies Lab is designed to lay the groundwork for long-term organising, beyond any single event or outcome.

The meetings will take place online.
However, this Lab requires participation twice in Berlin (both covered by transmediale).

▫️ Design Sprint (First weekend of October)
▫️ Festival tm27 (January 27 – February 3)

▫️ transmediale covers travel costs for each participant to attend the festival and the design sprint in Berlin. Train travel is prioritised where possible; otherwise, round-trip economy flights will be provided.
▫️ Accommodation is provided for the duration of the festival and design sprint.
▫️ Travel and accommodation arrangements are coordinated by transmediale.
▫️ transmediale supports visa applications by providing letters of invitation.

▫️ Participate in all meetings.
▫️ Commit to develop a collective project.
▫️ Availability to travel to Berlin during the design sprint (October 2–3) and the festival (26–31 January 2027).

Sepp Eckenhaussen is an artwriter, researcher, and organiser based in Amsterdam. He works at the Institute of Network Cultures and Caradt. From 2020 to 2023, Sepp co-directed the Dutch art workers’ association Platform BK. He is the author of Goodbye Poverty Jetset: How Art Workers Make Solidarity Economies (HumDrumPress, 2026).

Geert Lovink is a media theorist and the founding director of the Institute of Network Cultures since 2004 He is the author of many books, including Sad by Design (Pluto Press, 2019), Stuck on the Platform (Valiz, 2022), and, most recently, Platform Brutality (Valiz, 2025).