Themes and Narratives that shape our time

Two people are experiencing virtual reality together. One person is wearing a VR headset and gesturing enthusiastically, while the other stands beside them with raised hands, sharing their impressions. Both appear fascinated and engaged.

Our thematic focus areas address the central questions of our time. From cultural participation and community engagement to environmental responsibility and digital transformation. Through artistic and educational approaches we open up new ways of engaging with complex themes, think across disciplines and continuously develop our content in dialogue with society, science and practice.

Democracy & Participation

For a just, open and future-oriented world

We address social tensions, questions of participation and the future of democratic processes. Our projects create spaces for shifting perspectives, strengthen critical thinking and foster an understanding of societal dynamics in a complex world.

As a nonprofit organization, the Interactive Media Foundation brings this process to life. Our formats provide access to complex societal issues, center marginalized perspectives and foster dialogue. Projects in this field engage with fundamental values such as digital self-determination, human rights and social participation, often where these are under the greatest pressure.

For the IMF, participation is not an add-on but a core principle. We use digital media as tools to promote transparency, collective responsibility and agency.

Raising voices

Shaping society

The image shows a group of young people holding up signs at a demonstration. The posters display slogans such as “AO LET’S GO!”, “OUR VOTES at the ICJ,” and “OUR PLANET DEPENDS ON THE ICJAO!”. The protesters are demanding climate justice and highlighting the importance of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the ICJAO campaign.

Our projects empower people, reveal power structures and open spaces for negotiation and collective action.

Not Just Celsius shows how people raise their voices to confront the International Court of Justice with questions around climate change and human rights. It is an example of democratic participation on a global scale.

MYRIAD. Where we connect. invites viewers to follow the global routes of animals and experience how all life is interconnected. This immersive journey, which highlights participation as a principle of nature, also opens up new ways of understanding societal participation.

Your Data Mirror confronts people with their own digital footprints and sparks debates about privacy, transparency and power structures in the digital age.

Baukraft – part of BAUHAUS SPIRIT – explores the social dimensions of architecture and urban planning, encouraging people to experience cities as democratic spaces of negotiation.

A person holds a smartphone, taking a photo of a woman who appears blurred in the background. On the screen, two digital portraits of women in different dresses are visible.
A person stands with their back to the camera in a dark environment. In front of them is a large projection filled with water- and star-like points of light, evoking the impression of a cosmic or marine space. Numbers are also visible in the projection, suggesting data or scientific measurements.
The image shows a digital imprint of a shoe sole, annotated with data points. Labels suggest a profile: “16–18 Female,” “Cross Fit Athletic,” “Medium-Sized Shoe Size 41.” In the center, the text reads “HINTERLÄSST SPUREN” (“LEAVES A TRACE”). The visual design resembles forensic analysis or surveillance software, highlighting how personal information can be reconstructed from even the smallest traces.
A Minecraft-designed digital city model depicts a large, semi-circular high-rise complex with many balconies and windows. In front of it lies a green park area with blocky trees under a blue sky.
A person holds a smartphone, taking a photo of a woman who appears blurred in the background. On the screen, two digital portraits of women in different dresses are visible.
A person stands with their back to the camera in a dark environment. In front of them is a large projection filled with water- and star-like points of light, evoking the impression of a cosmic or marine space. Numbers are also visible in the projection, suggesting data or scientific measurements.
The image shows a digital imprint of a shoe sole, annotated with data points. Labels suggest a profile: “16–18 Female,” “Cross Fit Athletic,” “Medium-Sized Shoe Size 41.” In the center, the text reads “HINTERLÄSST SPUREN” (“LEAVES A TRACE”). The visual design resembles forensic analysis or surveillance software, highlighting how personal information can be reconstructed from even the smallest traces.
A Minecraft-designed digital city model depicts a large, semi-circular high-rise complex with many balconies and windows. In front of it lies a green park area with blocky trees under a blue sky.
A person holds a smartphone, taking a photo of a woman who appears blurred in the background. On the screen, two digital portraits of women in different dresses are visible.
A person stands with their back to the camera in a dark environment. In front of them is a large projection filled with water- and star-like points of light, evoking the impression of a cosmic or marine space. Numbers are also visible in the projection, suggesting data or scientific measurements.
The image shows a digital imprint of a shoe sole, annotated with data points. Labels suggest a profile: “16–18 Female,” “Cross Fit Athletic,” “Medium-Sized Shoe Size 41.” In the center, the text reads “HINTERLÄSST SPUREN” (“LEAVES A TRACE”). The visual design resembles forensic analysis or surveillance software, highlighting how personal information can be reconstructed from even the smallest traces.
A Minecraft-designed digital city model depicts a large, semi-circular high-rise complex with many balconies and windows. In front of it lies a green park area with blocky trees under a blue sky.

Witnesses speak out

Participation as a principle of nature

Privacy in the digital age

Negotiating urban space democratically

Witnesses speak out

Participation as a principle of nature

Privacy in the digital age

Negotiating urban space democratically

Witnesses speak out

Participation as a principle of nature

Privacy in the digital age

Negotiating urban space democratically

Democracy thrives when people can participate and be heard. This mindset is deeply embedded in all our projects, above all in Tinkertank, the very reason why the IMF was founded in the first place.

Saskia Kress, IMF's Company Lead