This article analyses the relationship of mutual benefit that formed between West Berlin's local government and experimental artists in the 1980s. In 1978 the West Berlin parliament established a grant programme to support independent artists operating in what was referred to as the ‘free scene’. The grants were intended to support the goal of restoring the city's status as a capital of artistic innovation. Soon after, the local tourism office also featured these independent artists within a new place marketing strategy focused on raising the ‘experiential value’ of the city's cultural offerings. But as this article shows, experimental artists were also using city grants to pursue alternative agendas focused on engaging with local populations in urban space. Through these projects, experimental artists extended the spirit of participatory democracy flourishing within the city's counter-cultural enclaves to broader areas of the city.

本文分析了80年代西柏林地方政府与实验艺术家之间形成的互利关系。1978 年，西柏林议会设立了一项资助计划，以支持在所谓的“自由场景”中运作的独立艺术家。这些赠款旨在支持恢复城市作为艺术创新之都的地位的目标。不久之后，当地旅游办公室也将这些独立艺术家纳入了一个新的地方营销策略，重点是提高城市文化产品的“体验价值”。但正如本文所示，实验艺术家也在利用城市拨款来追求专注于在城市空间中与当地居民互动的替代议程。通过这些项目，