The leitmotif of modernity poses the question of a possible shared horizon for humanity – and this is tied to the question of the management of finite resources on a global level. The activity Making the Invisible Town Visible takes up this question, proceeding from the subterranean supply system for electricity, water and gas in Kassel. The visible signs of the supply networks and the underground infrastructure also take us from their economic and social significance for modern life to the political issue of property rights. Previous attempts to privatise the water supply and current negotiations over the sale of the local electric works in Kassel are local examples of conflicts over resources that can also be applied to other places and to global processes.

The local manner of dealing with resources, the international interrelationships between supply systems and the question of property relations are discussed with political initiatives, youth groups, town planners and business representatives as well as in the context of ecological education programmes. These discussions will culminate, among other things, in an exhibition prepared in collaboration with the public utilities, which will be expanded into a work platform over the documenta summer.

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