The joint publication by OFF-Biennale and four international partners entitled We Cannot Say That We Have Arrived Somewhere, Yet Neither Can We Say That We Haven’t—A Glossary of Commoning Terms is out now in six languages.

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What does it mean to be hospitable, make alliances, or navigate conflict in the sphere of contemporary art? In the past eighteen month five socially and politically engaged, European nonprofit art spaces—La Escocesa (Barcelona), OFF-Biennale Budapest), < rotor > (Graz), Shtatëmbëdhjetë / Foundation 17 (Pristina), and tranzit.cz (Prague)—participated in a joint project and implemented various community-based and participatory programs in their respective cities. 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.

As a summary of the Art Space Unlimited cooperation project we published a book in six languages containing the terms and glossary entries that worked as guides and reference points for the partners in the process. Instead of such overused concepts as inclusion or participation in the publication 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 own environment and the local context.

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 that organisers of this type of activity face. 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 wants to develop a responsive and mindful public program.

The content of the book is freely accessible for mobile devices, computers, e-readers, and as a sustainable print-at-home download. The texts can be viewed directly on the website www.emotional-labor.eu, and all six language versions (Albanian, Czech, English, German, Hungarian, and Spanish) are also available as a free download in a print-at-home version or as an e-book (for e-readers such as Kindle). Further use of the content is possible under the Creative Commons license.

Art Space Unlimited is a project that emerged from the shared desire and effort of the project partners to open institutions toward people who, for various reasons, have difficult, complicated, disabled, or limited access to art, whether as creators, participants, or viewers. All this while transforming their institutional practice in order to become more empathetic, understanding, and open to people with diverse needs, experiences, and perceptions.

This 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.

Further information about the Art Space Unlimited and AllinOne projects are available here:
https://offbiennale2025.hu/en/kiallitas/allinone/