Berlin’s Museum Controversies (LV / Seminar)

Dr. Andrea Meyer, Prof. Dr. Aya Soika (Bard College Berlin)

Berlin’s Museum Controversies

Freitags 10:00 – 18:00, block seminar from October 29, 2021

BA KulT KW 3, 7

Berlin has a long history as a museum center, possessing collections to rival Paris and London. Recently, the institution of the museum – quintessentially a 19th century invention – has been the subject of radical transformation, resulting in changing modes of display and communication and a critical revision of existing notions of its public function. This class looks at some of the crucial themes within the current curatorial discourse, focussing on three sites that are at the center of contemporary German and international discussion of museum politics. The first is the Humboldt Forum, a reconstruction of the former Prussian City Palace and the new home to Berlin’s ethnographic collections. Controversy regarding the Forum hinges on the wider issue of European treatment of the colonial past, and the rightful status of objects which had very different functions and meanings in the original contexts from which they were appropriated. Our second site of investigation will be the historical complex on Museum Island, including the recently opened James Simon Gallery. Thirdly, we will examine the planning of a new building for the National Gallery’s twentieth-century collection near Potsdamer Platz by Herzog & de Meuron architects. This scheme has raised questions of aesthetic and topographical continuity and compatibility, as well as issues of cost. Pursuing these investigations will give us a unique insight into the decision-making processes, choices, and public discourse surrounding the modern display and understanding of art.

Please note: The seminar takes place in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Aya Soika from Bard College Berlin. Course language is English. Since the lecture times of Bard College and TU are different, the course must be held as a block course. It starts on Friday, October 29 and ends on December 10. The course is planned as an excursion seminar: the block sessions take place at the respective museum locations in combination with meetings in the lecture hall at Bard College et al. The longer travel times are taken into account, but assume your mobility on the session days.

Covid Preamble

Subject to further updates we will have to adhere to the Health and Safety Measure of the State Museums, the TU and Bard College. Most likely, all participants will provide proof of being tested, vaccinated or recovered for each session. Possibly, museum visits may only be possible individually, i. e. walking through the galleries in small groups or in pairs. If need be, we will structure our visits by providing sheets with group or individual assignments and questions. Group discussions should be possible in the classroom, and, weather-depending, outdoors – or via zoom in case we have to transition to online teaching. As you know we hope for the best, but are prepared to adjust with the utmost flexibility should the situation require it.

A maximum of 7 TU students can participate; please register via ISIS. Detailed information on the schedule and locations will be provided once you’ve registered.

Dr. Andrea Meyer, Prof. Dr. Aya Soika (Bard College Berlin)

Berlin’s Museum Controversies

Freitags 10:00 – 18:00, block seminar from October 29, 2021

BA KulT KW 3, 7

Berlin has a long history as a museum center, possessing collections to rival Paris and London. Recently, the institution of the museum – quintessentially a 19th century invention – has been the subject of radical transformation, resulting in changing modes of display and communication and a critical revision of existing notions of its public function. This class looks at some of the crucial themes within the current curatorial discourse, focussing on three sites that are at the center of contemporary German and international discussion of museum politics. The first is the Humboldt Forum, a reconstruction of the former Prussian City Palace and the new home to Berlin’s ethnographic collections. Controversy regarding the Forum hinges on the wider issue of European treatment of the colonial past, and the rightful status of objects which had very different functions and meanings in the original contexts from which they were appropriated. Our second site of investigation will be the historical complex on Museum Island, including the recently opened James Simon Gallery. Thirdly, we will examine the planning of a new building for the National Gallery’s twentieth-century collection near Potsdamer Platz by Herzog & de Meuron architects. This scheme has raised questions of aesthetic and topographical continuity and compatibility, as well as issues of cost. Pursuing these investigations will give us a unique insight into the decision-making processes, choices, and public discourse surrounding the modern display and understanding of art.

Please note: The seminar takes place in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Aya Soika from Bard College Berlin. Course language is English. Since the lecture times of Bard College and TU are different, the course must be held as a block course. It starts on Friday, October 29 and ends on December 10. The course is planned as an excursion seminar: the block sessions take place at the respective museum locations in combination with meetings in the lecture hall at Bard College et al. The longer travel times are taken into account, but assume your mobility on the session days.

Covid Preamble

Subject to further updates we will have to adhere to the Health and Safety Measure of the State Museums, the TU and Bard College. Most likely, all participants will provide proof of being tested, vaccinated or recovered for each session. Possibly, museum visits may only be possible individually, i. e. walking through the galleries in small groups or in pairs. If need be, we will structure our visits by providing sheets with group or individual assignments and questions. Group discussions should be possible in the classroom, and, weather-depending, outdoors – or via zoom in case we have to transition to online teaching. As you know we hope for the best, but are prepared to adjust with the utmost flexibility should the situation require it.

A maximum of 7 TU students can participate; please register via ISIS. Detailed information on the schedule and locations will be provided once you’ve registered.