A field trip to the Ruhr region provided Art History and Aesthetics students at the Kassel Art Academy with valuable inspiration for the conception of an anniversary exhibition marking the 250th anniversary of the Kassel Art Academy, which is due to open in 2027.
How are contemporary exhibitions created? What role does scenography play in communicating art and history? The art history students explored these questions as part of the field trip at the end of the summer term 2026. The seminar, led by Prof. Dr Kai-Uwe Hemken, is preparing the concept for the exhibition to mark the Academy of Fine Arts’ anniversary.
Collaboration with Dortmund University of Applied Sciences
A key part of the programme was a visit to a project seminar led by Prof. Dr Pamela C. Scorzin on the Master’s programme in Scenography at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences. The joint workshop focused on current approaches to curatorial scenography and their significance for the development of innovative exhibition concepts. Both seminar groups discussed spatial staging, exhibition dramaturgy and the interplay between architecture, artworks and the audience. This exchange marks the start of a collaboration between the two universities.
Curatorial concepts of Manifesta 16 Ruhr
Another key focus of the excursion was an examination of Manifesta 16, whose exhibition venues are spread across the Ruhr region. The seminar examined the biennial as an example of contemporary curatorial practice and analysed how historical sites, social issues and artistic positions are woven together to form multi-layered exhibition narratives. Particular attention was paid to the churches that were transformed into exhibition venues as part of Manifesta. The projects presented there engage with the history of the Ruhr region – in particular its mining past – as well as with issues of migration, social change, religious practice and cultural memory. The repurposing of sacred spaces opens up new perspectives on the relationship between art, architecture and the public sphere.
Together with Manifesta 16 outreach coordinators and students of Scenic Research at Ruhr University Bochum, the Kassel students discussed the biennial’s curatorial strategies and scenographic concepts. The focus was on questions such as how contemporary exhibition formats can make historical themes spatially tangible and bring different social perspectives into dialogue.
Visit to the Zeche Zollverein
The excursion concluded with a visit to the Zeche Zollverein, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Essen, including the Ruhr Museum and the Red Dot Design Museum. There, museum presentation formats and strategies for communicating history were compared with the curatorial approaches of Manifesta 16. This comparison highlighted different ways of presenting industrial heritage and demonstrated how museums and art exhibitions each convey historical processes in their own distinct ways.
