founded in 1997 by gesine pagels and carsten stabenow, garage was a festival for media and sound art, held in stralsund, germany, until 2005. over its nine editions, the festival introduced new approaches to producing, presenting and discussing artistic works, and earned a reputation in the discourse around new media. each year, artists, musicians and theorists were invited to develop and realise innovative projects during the festival. the guiding question was always how art and culture could contribute to processes of social and cultural development.

above all, garage was a producing festival. its focus was on supporting and producing new, not-yet-realised concepts, created specifically for and during the festival. stralsund proved an ideal base: its calm atmosphere and the distinctive infrastructure of the old city harbour made it a laboratory for intensive production, work and exchange. for many artists, producers and curators, part of the appeal was the closeness to the audience and the chance to test and adjust their work in direct dialogue with the public.

although the festival aimed to grow into an internationally recognised event, and presented established artists and positions to that end, garage always sought to maintain its independence and distinct profile. it did this through clear programmatic choices, a careful selection of themes, and a willingness to embrace the unfinished, the experimental and the artistically risky. presenting works in progress, along with a communicative and productive spirit in a relaxed setting, became the festival's trademarks. artists valued the opportunity to present, discuss and develop a project without pressure, while still being part of a widely noticed event.

in its later years, networking and cooperation with like-minded institutions in europe and beyond became central to the festival's development. garage carried out co-productions and artist exchanges with renowned partners internationally.

after 2005 garage operated from berlin as a production hub, expanding its model of project development and presentation into new formats, places and networks. in 2009, we co-founded dock berlin, an initiative for art and media in berlin. its aim is to build a new backbone for production in the field of art and technology, continuing the ideas behind the tesla media lab and garage. resulting in important network projects and platforms like soundexchange, tuned city or terra ignota…