From the museum of late modernism, its history and its future, monument protection, the “third place” or climate box versus climate crisis.
The Kunsthalle Bielefeld was built according to plans by the US architect Philip Johnson (1906-2005) and opened in 1968. It is its only museum building in Europe, a landmark of the city of Bielefeld and significant historical monument. In order to remain viable as a museum, however, after more than fifty years it is now time for a fundamental and future-oriented renovation and modernization.
This is not just about technical innovations, but many aspects have to be taken into account: How does one deal with the history of the Kunsthalle and the preservation requirements of its architecture? How can the renovation itself be ecological and promote sustainable museum work? And what should be considered during the conversion so that the Kunsthalle can meet today’s requirements for museums?
Today, the tasks of museums are no longer limited to the classic areas of collecting, preserving, researching and communicating. Museums today also see their responsibility in being a so-called “third place”. They want to serve as meeting points for our increasingly diverse urban society, to be an open and dialogue-oriented place of encounter and knowledge production for all.
With this in mind, we would like to invite the urban community to a three-part symposium. Everyone is welcome to join national and international experts in publicly discussing the diverse issues and findings from the planning process and to participate in the Kunsthalle’s redevelopment.
We are looking forward to seeing you!
April 21 + 22, 2023
September 1 + 2, 2023
October 27 + 28, 2023
Each Friday evening beginning at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
The symposium is open to the public and will take place both on site in the lecture hall of the Kunsthalle Bielefeld and online in a stream via Zoom.
The lectures will be held in German and English. The event will be streamed with English and German subtitles and simultaneous translation from German to English.
If you want to be there on site in the lecture hall of the Kunsthalle Bielefeld:
We will also stream the event via Zoom:
Tickets are available four weeks before the respective date here.
Part I: We present all guests here briefly.
Part II: We present all guests here briefly.
Part III: All guests we present here briefly.
18:30
GreetingKarin Schrader, Mayor of the City of Bielefeld
Introductionpivots Kunsthalle Bielefeld
Christina Végh, Director Kunsthalle Bielefeld
19:30
LectureYears of Construction. Impulse Kunsthalle Mannheim.Architecture, Concept, Digital Strategy
Dr. Ulrike Lorenz, President of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar
10:00
10:30 a.m.
keynote addressPhilip Johnson’s 1968 Bielefeld Art Gallery:a challenge for German architectural criticism.
Prof. Dr. Fritz Neumeyer, Technical University of Berlin, Architectural Theory, em.
11:00
keynote addressRepeated finally “discussed out”!? – Biographical and Memory Cultural Observations on Richard Kaselowsky
Dr. Jochen Rath, City Archive and Regional History Library Bielefeld
11:30 a.m.
keynote addressArt has WUMM – The Kunsthalle and its naming as a place of civil society debates and artistic interventions
Dr. Irene Below, art historian, Werther
– Coffee break –
12:30
Discussion
Moderation: Prof. Dr. Eduard Führ, Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg, Chair for Theory of Architecture (retired), Honorary Professor for Architectural Education and Christina Végh, Director Kunsthalle Bielefeld
– Lunch break –
14:30
keynote addressThe public museum as a monument(Das öffentliche Museum als Monument)
Dr. Andrea Lissoni, Haus der Kunst Munich (in English)
15:00
keynote addressThe Passions of Philip Johnson(Die Leidenschaften Philip Johnsons)
Prof. Dr. Jeffrey Lieber, Texas State University (in English)
15:30
keynote addressMoral communication in architecture. About Philip Johnson and Others
Prof. Dr. Stephan Trüby, University of Stuttgart, Fundamentals of Modern Architecture and Design
16:30
In Part I, we confront the good and evil spirits of Kunsthalle Bielefeld’s history. More informationen about the participants on april 21st and 22nd and recordings of all presentations can be found on our blog here.
Greeting (video message)
Ina BrandesMinister for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
IntroductionChristina Végh, Director Kunsthalle Bielefeld
LectureMake Museums Great Again?The future of museum architecture
Prof. Dr. Philip Ursprung, ETH Zurich, History of Art and Architecture
10:30
keynote address“Invisible” Museums. or: The invention of the new as the discovery of the existing.
Prof. Dr. Stanislaus von Moos, University of Zurich, em.
keynote addressForm versus function. The solution rarely lies in the middle.Examples from the renovation of the Neue Nationalgalerie.
Dr. Joachim Jäger, New National Gallery Berlin
11:30
keynote addressThe overtaxed monument
Prof. Dr. Silke Langenberg, ETH Zurich, Institute of Architecture, Structural Heritage and Preservation of Historical Monuments
– Pause –
Moderation: Prof. Dr. Philip Ursprung, ETH Zurich, history of art and architecture and Christina Végh, Director Kunsthalle Bielefeld
keynote addressHanging up instead of hanging down? – Museum Spaces and the New Ethics of Communitization
Prof. Dr. Karen van den Berg, Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen, Chair of Art Theory & Staging Practice
keynote addressVulnerable Processes. Vulnerable Processes. A Curatorial Reflection on the Museum in Transition.
Prof. Dr. Doreen Mende, Dresden State Art Collections, HEAD Genève
keynote addressThe spatial culture of museums(titel original in english)
Prof. Dr. Kali Tzorzti, University of Patras, Institute of Architecture, Museology(conversation in english)
In Part II, we ask how the rehabilitation of a historic building can help develop a museum into a “third place,” a meeting place for a diverse community. More information about this and the participants can be found on our blog.
GreetingBritta Haßelmann MdBChairwoman of the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen parliamentary group in the Bundestag
LectureRewilding the white cube:the role of art museums in addressing climate emergency(Rewilding the white cube: die Rolle der Kunstmuseen bei der Bewältigung des Klimanotstandes)
Frances Morris, Director Emerita Tate Modern, London(conversation in english)
keynote addressExhibiting and preserving as toxic paradigms.Can cultural institutions negotiate the environmental crisis?
Prof. Dr. Peter J. Schneemann, University of Bern, Department of Modern and Contemporary Art History
keynote addressThe city, the box, the art and the climate.Attempt at a relational reassembly
Prof. Dipl. Ing. Bernd Kniess, HafenCity University Hamburg, Urban Design
keynote address Curating as Care Work: Of the Museum Climate in Planetary Interdependencies and Cultural Imaginaries.
Prof. Dr. Elke Krasny, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
Moderation: Jacob Sylvester Bilabel, Network Sustainability in Culture and Media and Christina Végh, Director Kunsthalle Bielefeld
keynote addressPeace with Gaia – Perspectives, possibilities and limits of cultural institutions in the sustainability transformation process
Ministerialrat Ralph Zinnikus, Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia,Unit 416, New Cultural Facilities, Sustainability
keynote addressLook up – the way to a green museum
Prof. Dr. Stefan Simon, Rathgen Research Laboratory Berlin
keynote addressThe path to a climate-friendly museum
Prof. Peter Gorschlüter, Folkwang Museum Essen
Part III addresses the question of how a museum can become fit for the future with a view to sustainability and climate protection. More information about this and the participants can be found on our blog.
The symposium is sponsored and supported by:
In our accompanying blog to the symposium, you can expect exciting interviews and diverse insights beyond the museum spaces and exhibitions, as well as artistic contributions from students of the University of Applied Sciences.
Here you will find all information about the renovation of the Kunsthalle Bielefeld and the supporting program we have prepared for it. Stay with us and accompany us through this exciting time.
Allow loading of videos via Vimeo / Youtube on kunsthalle-bielefeld.de?