Questionism

Questionism is an initiative that creates space to explore the transformative potential of questions. It deals with the art and power of crafting questions in the process of knowledge production. It intends to break conventional ways of thinking and learning by responding to questions with new questions rather than with answers.

Questionism puts the spotlight on the transformative potential of questions and tries to establish a new school of thought by giving importance to questioning in a time where people look for quick and easy answers. It values questioning in the process of knowledge production by putting emphasis on the art of crafting questions. It intends to break conventional ways of thinking and learning by responding to questions with new questions rather than with answers.

Actions consist of a series of encounters and experiments, revising and tackling the process of questioning and how questions come into existence. The format opens a space to play with the production of questions and their diverse effects. By using techniques derived from different disciplines and art forms, the process aims to change existing ways of communication and contribute to our ways of thinking, creating, doing and living together. It offers the opportunities of questioning in manifold ways that are usually not part of education. By bringing people together and opening new ways of communication, it supports mutual understanding and enriches design processes.

Questionism consists of Questionyards and Quest. The first gathering was realized as a Questionyard on March 10, 2018, with a lecture performance and two workshops offered by students of the Social Design Studio. Questionyards are laboratories for interdisciplinary exchange and collaborative action implemented in the framework of Questionism. They host different formats to explore the process of questioning and facilitate collective creative actions. The second gathering was realized in public space within the ‘Oskar nimmt Platz’ project on May 14, 2018. Following the presentation, Quest game was introduced for the participation of people by answering questions with questions, starting with the question ‘What is public space?’ evolving eventually into the question “How to survive and believe in the future?”.