Enlightenment NOW
Young perspectives on the exhibition “What is Enlightenment? Questions for the Eighteenth Century”
What is the meaning of (in-)equality, tolerance, edification and education, human rights, gender models, individuality, and reason? What did they mean in the 18th century and how do we understand them now? What do young people associate with these topics today?
Within the framework of the exhibition “What is Enlightenment? Questions for the Eighteenth Century” the Deutsches Historisches Museum is working on a broad basis with young people from the Berlin and inclusive school classes in Berlin and Brandenburg. The aim of the cooperation is to capture the perspectives of the participants in workshops and working processes lasting several months and to incorporate them in the exhibition and the accompanying programme. In accordance with democratic participation, this should help to eliminate barriers and invite a young diverse group of people to participate and to contribute to these initiatives.
A special area of the exhibition will be devoted to the question: “What remains?” It is to be curated by young people from Berlin and will offer visitors the opportunity to express their own thoughts. At an interactive station another cooperation group will deal with topics that they are well acquainted with, such as education or gender models, in order to examine changes and continuities between the time of Enlightenment and the present.
Staff members of the DHM will work together with students from inclusive schools on certain objects that will help to develop creative approaches to multisensorial and interactive stations in the exhibition which are directed specifically at children and young people. An inclusive booklet for children eight years and older will help them to find their own way through the exhibition.
Under the motto “Enlightenment NOW” the house will be open on three evenings during the exhibition period to discuss different issues concerning current views of enlightenment. A scholarly “slam”, performative tours, an entertaining quiz, stage performances, music, talks and other programmes promise informative and entertaining evenings.
The results of the project will be summarised at a conference with experts discussing the topic “Talking about Enlightenment. Education and Outreach”. Digital materials will document the results for use after the exhibition.
Cooperation partners of the outreach and education programme:
- Jugendkunstschule Neukölln in cooperation with the Alfred-Nobel-Schule Berlin-Neukölln
- Youth panel “Shadow Museum”, accompanied by the artists’ collective Sideviews e.V. (Berlin-Kreuzberg)
- Education provider Pestalozzi-Fröbel-Haus – prospective social education workers (Berlin-Schöneberg)
- Education centre Lohana Berkins, education and language centre for adult migrants (Berlin-Lichtenberg / Kreuzberg / Neukölln)
- Johann-August-Zeune-Schule working with blind people (Berlin-Steglitz)
- Finkenkrug-Schule in support of “Intellectual Development” (Berlin-Wilmersdorf)
- Wilhelm-von-Türk-Schule in support of “Hearing” (Potsdam)
The Outreach and Education programme is headed and realised by Brigitte Vogel-Janotta, Dr. Crawford Matthews and Lilja-Ruben Vowe. It is supported by the German Federal Cultural Foundation.
