Trust in Rugged Terrain

• Trust in Rugged Terrain

• Andreas Broeckmann
• Stefan Riekeles

Category:

• Introductory & Welcoming Notes

• The exhibition TRUST presents works from fourteen artists and artist groups that focus on different aspects of trust. The works make it possible to grapple with the contemporary meaning of trust and to explore its boundaries. We distinguish between different forms of trust such as personal trust (in other people), system trust (in institutions and technical systems) and media trust (in images, media and presentation techniques). Communication and social action are unthinkable without trust – it forms the foundation for the functioning of complex societies, especially when they are not driven by the threat of violence. Trust is the retainer and the goodwill that we bring to a relationship: it embodies the expectation that the other will behave in a reliable manner although no explicit assurances have been given. Placing trust in someone means leaving him or her with a precious gift in the hope that it will be carefully treated and eventually returned. Faith in institutions, societal structures and systems is aligned with, for example, money and its usage, equitable governance, reliable science and legitimate political power. In media, we trust that technical devices and presentation and communication aids will
  function properly to enable the kinds of communication and forms of expression that are expected of them. For all of these forms of trust there is often little reason; the mass media prove to be instruments of propaganda. Science, research and technology are regularly seen to be unable to gauge or control the consequences of their actions, and economic and political systems fail under the pressure of special interest groups and corruption.

  Full text (PDF) p. 9-18