The "INVISIBLE" exhibition
Februar 22nd to September 12th 2021
The "INVISIBLE" exhibition
"The Invisible Exhibition" is a playful experiment. If an exhibition in a museum can fundamentally be described as a viewing experience, then its invisibility is the obvious opposite of this. Therefore, this paradox also represents the appeal of the idea and the exhibition, for the participants in the student project, for Regensburg artist Stefan Göler—who made the objects for it—and certainly for the visitors.
"The Invisible Exhibition" is the result of a one-semester practical seminar in the winter semester 2019/20 at the University of Tübingen as part of the master's profile "Museum & Collections | MuSa". The goal of the project was to implement a small presentation for the visitors of the museum in Hohentübingen Castle. Whereby the word "presentation" seems to be far exaggerated here: for Stefan Göler's small and poetic objects were to be integrated into the permanent exhibition without any scenographic reference—hidden carefully—so that the term "intervention", currently frequently used in museum contexts, hardly applies here. Stefan Göler's objects appear mysterious and delicate; they are made of poor and seemingly archaic materials. In the context of the prehistoric, antique and ancient-Egyptian objects in the musem they don't attract attention.
Their subtle radiance spreads an enigmatic aura, which prompted the students of the seminar to write quite associative, very subjective and in part equally poetic short texts. The students' reflections and associations with the objects can be read in the free brochure. What's more, it is only with this handout that it is possible to recognize which and how many objects are actually hidden in the museum, which objects fit perfectly into the context of the old collections, or which objects stand out and could cause irritation.
Vernissage
On Friday, February 21, at 7 pm, the vernissage of this extraordinary exhibition took place in the Museum of Ancient Cultures in the Hohentübingen Castle.
The vernissage was opened by some short speeches, which took place in the presence of the artist and about 100 guests in the castle church. In addition to MUT Director Ernst Seidl, two students, namely Fiona Flieder and Kim Wüsteney-Arbabi, addressed the curious crowd of guests. The presentations offered interesting explanations of broken viewing habits of museum visitors, and also of how the "Invisible Exhibition" in particular attempts to contrast reception expectations in a tension-filled way. Afterwards, during a small drink in the Rittersaal, the findings of their own search for clues were discussed at length with the students, the museum makers, and the artist.
The MUT would like to thank the speakers and all the other students involved for the surprisingly sensitive and linguistically captivating texts, which transformed a simple handout into a profound show accompaniment. At this point, we would also like to express our gratitude once again to Stefan Göler for the pleasantly effortless and fruitful collaboration, as well as to Sönmez Alemdar, Jörg Petrasch, and Jan Tattko, the restorers and curators of the collections, and last but not least, the photographer Valentin Marquardt for the congenial visual staging of the objects in the brochure. Finally, the MUT would also like to thank all the staff for what was, as usual, a successful opening evening for an exhibition that is officially "invisible" but will certainly not remain unseen.
Exhibition venue
MUT | Ancient Cultures
Burgsteige 11
72070 Tübingen
Opening hours
Wed to Sun 10am to 5pm
Thurs 10am to 7pm
Admission
Adult: 5 €
Reduced: 3 € (children, students, retirees, disabled)
Family ticket: 12 €
Students of the University of Tübingen: free
Contact
Tel.: +49 (0)7071 29 77579