Was macht ihr da? Warum Museum wichtig ist
In the organizer's words:
From 1.5.2025 to 9.11.2025, Hessen Kassel Heritage will provide an insight into the diverse work of the museum at the Neue Galerie in Kassel. The special exhibition "What are you doing? Why museums are important." explores the question of what museums do - and why they are indispensable for our society. Using selected exhibits, accompanied by texts, pictures and short films, the exhibition shows how museums work.
The exhibition focuses on the five traditional tasks of a museum as defined by the International Council of Museums (ICOM): collecting, preserving, researching, interpreting and exhibiting. Selected objects provide an authentic insight into the work behind the collections of Hessen Kassel Heritage.
From ancient Egypt to the documenta
The objects on display span a wide range from the Stone Age to the present day, from wallpaper to astronomical instruments. They show how diverse museum work is - in terms of both content and methodology. Methods and questions are illustrated in the exhibition using various examples: These include a critical look at the role of the Hessian State Museum in the course of the expropriation of Jewish people during the Nazi era, an archaeological search for clues in the Haydau monastery in northern Hesse and the eventful history of the plaster cast of an Egyptian pharaoh statue.
The aim is not to present an overview-like showcase of achievements. On the contrary, contrasts and areas of friction between the individual pieces are deliberately sought: The exhibition jumps from Ancient Egypt to Joseph Beuys. The Reformation period in Hesse stands next to Greek antiquity.
If one accepts this concept, it becomes clear how it is possible and why it is a worthwhile task to elicit the history(ies) of the objects, to document them and to tell their stories.
In a discourse room, film formats specially developed for this exhibition will be presented that go beyond the traditional remit of museum work. Documentaries, essayistic contributions and fictional narrative forms open up alternative approaches to complex topics.
Finally, the exhibition offers two complementary, smaller rooms. On the one hand, interesting and amusing facts about the museum are presented there. Secondly, there is an opportunity to express and leave your own feelings and wishes about the museum.
A booklet from the "more.about" series will be published in German to accompany the exhibition. Many articles explain in breadth and depth the topic "Why museums are important."
This content has been machine translated.Location
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