Designing for the community: Benny Becker in Freiraum F3

Designing for the community: Benny Becker in Freiraum F3

Today in Rüsselsheim everything revolves around creative ideas and their implementation. In the Clearance f3 The versatile artist Benny Becker shows his exhibition with the catchy title “Everyone Wants, Nobody Does”. This is less about mere visions and more about the concrete implementation of practical ideas. Becker, who began an exciting career as a model carpenter at Opel and later studied mechanical engineering and design, highlights central themes such as environmental awareness and social impact in his work.

Becker is no stranger to Rüsselsheim's cultural scene. He was active in the “das Rind” cultural center for over a decade and also gained his experience at the Trebur Open Air. Today he runs the Rollwerks in the Opel old factory and organizes a variety of events, including the Bel-R! Festival and Rollrausch. His intensive involvement makes him appear to be an important source of inspiration for the region.

Diversity of work and spirit of innovation

The exhibition includes a wide range of design objects, functional prototypes and event concepts. When designing these works, Becker collaborates with artists such as Clemens Heidolf, Yannick Pfeifer and Kim Kibler. Its goal is to create a meeting place where workshops and discussions about material-friendly processes and manufacturing methods can take place. Becker wants to increase awareness of local culture and stimulate a social discourse that draws attention to community projects.

These initiatives are more important than ever, as rural regions such as Rüsselsheim and the surrounding area often suffer from a lack of full-time specialist staff in cultural institutions. The Transformer program of the Federal Cultural Foundation has been supporting cultural participation in rural areas since 2015, where there is often little visibility of the offerings. Without the committed work of cultural actors and associations, it could be difficult to hold the community together.

The role of communities in cultural work

Recent developments show that cultural offerings in rural regions must be accompanied by strong local participation. As in the project “Municipal cultural work in the districts” As shown, districts are not only responsible for providing resources, but also for networking between culture, administration and politics. Smooth collaboration is the key to making creative projects successful and involving citizens.

Becker's homeland is not only a place for art and design, but also a hodgepodge of possibilities that need to be exploited. With its exhibition and the associated dialogue, Rüsselsheim is well on the way to further developing the cultural landscape and keeping it alive. At a time when demographic change and other challenges are affecting many rural regions, creative ideas and active participation are even more important.