How a play on words became a concept

No question, when mnemon and BaDSaM sat together and pondered over the name for the association that was to be founded quickly, tongues were loose and one word gave the other. “KuK” sounded so wonderfully old-fashioned and BDSM was the topic. After a while, the meanings of these abbreviations were found.

Kunst- und Kulturförderkreis BasisDemokratischer SadoMasochisten. What a nice play on words.

That was at the end of 2007 and the seven founding members of the association agreed.

Meanwhile, in 2021, the group (aka association members) has grown to about 125. These people have turned the play on words into a lived concept. Expressed and lived SM sexuality is sometimes art, but always a cultural achievement. We have organised ourselves in a grassroots democratic way in all aspects – from designing the house to agreeing on rules – and we are also sadomasochists.

This is occasionally tedious and lengthy, but in the end it does justice to the people and their needs.

Why do you need a registered association for this?

We founded the association for one reason only: Legal security for everyone. The advantages are obvious: the association can have contracts (such as the rental contract) without individuals being personally liable, it can serve drinks and organise events. At the same time, it provides its members with binding information about booked events and transparency about paid fees. And last but not least, it ensures that no one earns money with the project. The association’s board not only reports all the figures regularly – all the money the association takes in is also spent again for association purposes.