Berlin, 13 June 2024
The Humboldt Forum, built between 2013 and 2020, presents itself in the shell of the palace of the Prussian kingdom and the German Empire. As an idealised cover memory, it suppresses the complex history of the site in the 19th and 20th centuries: Imperialism and the oppression of minorities, the revolutions of 1848 and 1918, the period of the Weimar Republic, National Socialism, the Second World War, the division of Germany and the GDR, but also the peaceful reunification and the cultural appropriation of the Palace of the Republic. The history of the site now also includes the role of right-wing extremist circles in the “faithful” reconstruction. The radicalisation of the reconstruction project, which goes beyond the Bundestag resolution of 2002 — such as the Christian-fundamentalist charge of the dome slogan — has gradually marginalised and even eradicated other, critically reflected views of German history at this site.
The non-relationship between the external appearance of the building and the utilisation concept of the Humboldt Forum is also problematic. The legitimising reference to the royal art chambers cannot bridge this discrepancy. And to the extent that it does, it exacerbates the problem of the external appearance. For the collections on display inside are of colonial origin and the result of an imperial Prussian-German history of violence. Their presentation raises the question of the relationship of the Prussian-German monarchy and history to colonialism, without any critical thematisation having taken place to date.
It is time to break with the uncritical glorification of Prussia and change the external appearance of the Humboldt Forum. We are therefore inviting artists, designers and architects to submit proposals that use artistic means to visualise the repressed layers of the site and inscribe them into the façades of the Humboldt Forum. In addition to permanent, physical forms of intervention, we are also interested in temporary, performative and artistic-research works.
Artistic contributions are also possible that deal with fundamental changes to the programming, governance and handling of the collections, if these proposals also emerge in the urban space; because it remains essential to question the current character of the public space through the building.
The status quo should not be seen as the end point of a painful process, but as a starting point that can be transformed and developed as part of a culture of remodelling that is open to different views and perspectives on history and takes into account the diversity of today’s society.
This call for ideas is the first step in a campaign that demands that the federal government, as owner and operator, further develops its building and organises a competition for the realisation of corresponding art-in-architecture projects and implements the result.
Selection committee
The organiser will make a selection depending on the type of communication, whereby a broad spectrum of ideas should be maintained in any case and no ranking order will be determined. The selection committee consists of: Julia Grosse, Annette Maechtel, Hito Steyerl. The selection is anonymous.
Presentation and Publication
The works will be presented and discussed on 10 October at the neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst (nGbK) Berlin and published in a book by DOM-Publishers as well as communicated in other ways.
Invited Artists
The call for ideas is open to everyone. Participation has already been confirmed in advance on invitation by:
Anschlaege.de
The Department / Theo Deutinger
Förderverein Palast der Republik
Max Graf
Mischa Leinkauf
Ligna
Esper Postma
Anike Joyce Sadiq
Karin Sander
Raumlabor
Daniel Theiler
Ina Wudtke & Dieter Lesage
The evaluation of their work is also subject to anonymity.
Submission of ideas
Works can be submitted digitally until 15 September on our website schlossaneigung.de
- Key visual: Representation of a freely chosen exterior view of the castle with the artistic
- Optionally up to three further images of your choice
- For larger video files a link can be provided
- Explanatory text 1 page A4
- Author’s declaration
Apart from the author’s declaration, the other parts of the submission should not contain any reference to authorship.
Material
The organiser provides photographic material and information on historical and current traces on its website, which can be used by participants to present their own ideas.
Archiv-Plane-Schlossfassaden.zip
Archiv-Fotos-Fassaden-Ausschnitte.zip
Archiv-Fotos-Fassaden-total-schraeg-.zip
Archiv-Fotos-Fassaden-total-frontal-.zip
Drohnenfotos-Lustgartenfassade.zip
Drohnenfotos-Eosanderprotal_Kuppel.zip
Selection
The organiser will make a selection depending on the type of communication, whereby a broad spectrum of ideas is to be maintained in any case and no ranking will be determined.
The selection committee consists of: Julia Grosse, Annette Maechtel, Hito Steyerl.
Queries
An online colloquium took place on Monday, 15 July 2024 at 17:00 on zoom. The meeting was recorded, here is the link:
The zoom-chat with the question raised can be found here.
Following the consultation colloquium, a preliminary jury meeting was held on 24 July 2024. At this meeting, it was finally decided that the works would be selected anonymously.
Cooperation partners
Aedes Architecture Forum, ARCH+, Bureau n, DOM publishers, nGbK, OFFscreen, taz Blogs, Universität Kassel – FG ATH
Initiators
Klaus Brake, Stadtforscher und -planer
Elisabeth Broermann, Architektin
Max Czolleck, Publizist
Christian Koppe, Historiker
Kristin Feireiss, Kuratorin
Harry Friebel, Soziologe
Theresa Keilhacker, Architektin
Doris Kleilein, Verlagsleiterin
Detlef Kurth, Stadtplaner
Anton Maegerle, Investigativ-Journalist
Philipp Meuser, Architekt und Verleger
Silke Neumann, Kommunikationsexpertin
Anh-Linh Ngo, Chefredakteur
Philipp Oswalt, Architekt und Publizist
Fred Plassmann, Filmemacher
Eike Roswag-Klinge, Architekt
Agnieszka Pufelska, Historikerin
Yvonne Rothe, Künstlerin/Grafikerin
Philipp Ruch, Künstler
Ulrike Steglich, Journalistin
Alexander Stumm, Architekturwissenschaftler
Tina Veihelmann, Journalistin
Anna Yeboah, Kuratorin und Architektin
Jürgen Zimmerer, Historiker