For the Archive of the Arts, works of art were "recycled" which, independent of the "Elbe Island Summer 08," had already dealt with such topics as climate, ecology, waterway pollution, nature vs. economic growth, and sustainability; and which were developed in the Hamburg metropolitan area.

Recycling of art follows the idea of sustainability in the sense of anti-productivism. Where something has already been produced, there is no need to produce more of the same. Instead of demanding further products, the existing pieces of art are being reused.

In this way, the Archive of the Arts was able to present various positions, some of them quite well-known, which entered into a new dialogue with each other. With the positions of Joseph Beuys, Lili Fischer, Malte Willms, Kathrin Milan, Ton Matton, Elisabeth Richnow, Nana Petzet, Galerie für Landschaftskunst and Dan Peterman, Culture|Nature localized itself in the context of an art in the public interest, characterized by dealing with the politics of the city, the environment, and of society.

The Archive of the Arts formed the local center and the contextual basis of the platform Culture|Nature. It was the starting point for the "Excursions of Reflection" and the site of workshops, barbecues, and lectures on topics such as "guerilla gardening," art, city politics, and ecology.

The TONNE, home of the Archive of the Arts, is a glass-covered hall along the Veringkanal in Hamburg-Wilhelsmburg. Its barrel-shaped roof gave it its name "Tonne" (barrel); the building is a half-finished, abandoned building that has been standing empty since 1994. It was put to its first use in the Summer of 2008, as a space for art, by Culture|Nature, thus withdrawing it from the logic of a purely economically motivated rental praxis, which had led to the situation that this new building had never found a user in fifteen years.

The glass facade makes the place appear very open und integrated in the system of parks and other green spaces in Wilhelmsburg. The rough concrete structure was equipped with sanitary facilities, electricity, lighting, water, as well as with a service counter. The relatively sparse furnishings made it usable for a wide variety of events. There are plans to continue using the TONNE for art purposes in the district of Wilhelmsburg.