Northwestern Europe
Annual Report 2022-23
The annual report of the Goethe-Institut is is based on the goals set out in our vision and strategy. Numerous interviews, reports, images and infographics provide an insight into the work of the Goethe-Institut over the past year.
Here you can read an excerpt from the current annual report, detailing highlights from our region. Northwestern Europe comprises Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands, Ireland and the UK.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the consequences for security in Europe – especially for neighbouring countries – is still preoccupying the region. This has been exacerbated by the financial and social impacts of the energy crisis, the climate crisis and – in the United Kingdom in particular – by Brexit. These are all issues impacting our work to a considerable degree.
What projects did the Goethe-Institut launch in 2022?
The Goethe-Instituts in London, Amsterdam and Lagos, together with the British Council and the Research Center for Material Culture (RCMC), launched the research and art project Practicing Freedom about decolonisation and the restitution of collections. In Helsinki, with the support of the Allianz Kulturstiftung, we made a significant contribution to making children’s books more diverse through the DRIN project. The project Living in a Quantum State asked important ethical and environmental questions about quantum computing and its future. In collaboration with the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, the Goethe-Institut Copenhagen created Humlebæk, a comprehensive supporting programme for an exhibition on New Objectivity.
What are the biggest challenges?
It is still challenging to cover complex topics such as new technologies, decolonisation, the climate crisis, and Europe with limited resources. Particularly in difficult times, it is important to play an active role in these discussions. The consequence of the cuts was that we not only found ourselves forced to cancel projects, but we also had to give up some long term partnerships.
What moments were particularly memorable?
Above all, the countless in-person encounters remain the most memorable: the summer afternoon at re:publica in Berlin, for example, when two colleagues were making slime for the installation by the quantum computing artist Libby Heaney. Goethe-Insitituts in Oslo and London celebrated their 60th anniversaries. The anniversary speech by our robot GILON at the celebrations in London remains a highlight. In Iceland, we organised a varied cultural programme in the Nordic House as part of Goethe Morph* Iceland.
What is being planned for 2023/2024?
The topic of colonial legacy and restitution will be pursued further with Lives of Objects. Inclusive artist residencies, including one in London for a deaf artist and her family, will enrich our institutes.
The Goethe-Institut in Dublin is planning a new series of artist residencies, which will explore the relationship between quantum technologies and the arts and bring together research bodies, tech companies, artists and local cultural institutions. The institutes in Oslo, Stockholm and Helsinki are focusing on the topic of Nordic Colonialism and the Cultural Heritage of the Sami. In Rotterdam, the project Petromelancholia is reflecting a current issue. GIMAGINE at the Goethe-Institut in London is part of a new initiative funded by the UK Department for Education to promote foreign language teaching in state schools in England. The Goethe-Institut has joined a consortium with University College London and the British Council for this.
Dr. Katharina von Ruckteschell-Katte has been Regional Director Northwestern Europe since 2018. Before that, she worked in the same role in South American and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Visit the Goethe-Institut website to read the full Annual Report 2022-23