Where do art and the circular economy intersect?
One of the defining issues of the 21st century is how we as humans live on this planet, what we take from nature, and in what condition it is returned. Materials and processes shape our everyday lives, but where do they come from, and where do they go? The circular economy is concerned not only with the life cycle of a single plastic bottle, but also with its impact on the future habitability of our planet.

This theme is the focus of the fourth cycle of the collaborative project Cultural Collisions. Since spring 2026, around 650 students have been working together with TU Wien (Technical University of Vienna), the University of Applied Arts Vienna, the Vienna Museum of Science and Technology, and mumok to explore the topic of the circular economy through artistic practice. The results will be presented in a joint exhibition from June 24 to July 4, 2026.

Specializing in the art, cultural, and intellectual history of the 20th and 21st centuries, mumok understands its educational work as a bridge between everyday experience and societal challenges. Contemporary art questions the familiar and searches for new ways of thinking—an explicitly transdisciplinary approach that we consistently pursue in the Cultural Collisions project together with our partner institutions.

Project Partners
TU Wien (Technical University Vienna)
University of Applied Arts Vienna
Vienna Museum of Science and Technology
Future Learning Lab at the University College of Teacher Education Vienna
Wiener Bildungsserver

Project Process
At the kick-off in spring 2026 at TU Wien and the University of Applied Arts Vienna, participating classes explored questions related to the circular economy, materials, and processes in an interactive exhibition.

This was followed by in-depth, multi-hour workshops at mumok:

• Impulse lecture “How do artists work?”
  A dialog-based introduction to artistic working methods, materiality, and process.
• Exhibition visits to Never Final! The Evolving Museum
  Focusing on a range of artistic methods from the 20th century.
• Workshop on digital art with Makey Makey, inspired by works in the exhibitions.
  Students creatively repurposed control interfaces, using circuit boards to become part of a digital artwork.

In addition, the Vienna Museum of Science and Technology offered workshops and guided tours addressing the emotional dimensions behind technological and societal developments. Sustainable technological progress, after all, can only occur when we are connected to our own emotions.

Exhibition and Mediation
The final exhibition is being developed through a co-creation process with a curatorial team of students. From selecting the works to designing the exhibition space, the young experts make all key decisions themselves. The exhibition is accompanied by public guided tours and educational programs for schools.
 

Public guided tours of the exhibition:

• Thursday, June 25, 5 pm
• Thursday, July 2, 5 pm

Participation is free with a valid exhibition ticket or a mumok annual pass.
 

Thanks to Our Funding Partners
The project is made possible by the Berndorf Private Foundation, PALFINGER AG, and the TU Wien Foundation. Through their support, they invest in the next generation of engineers and cultural practitioners.
Together, we are creating a dialog-based space for learning and experience that connects science and art, makes complex issues tangible, and opens up perspectives on a sustainable future.
Cultural Collisions is a cooperation between mumok and TU Wien, the University of Applied Arts Vienna, the Vienna Museum of Science and Technology, the University College of Teacher Education Vienna, the Future Learning Lab Vienna, and the Wiener Bildungsserver.