Series of events: Platz nehmen

A series of events for a free culture of debate at Schillerplatz by Academy | Art | Public Sphere.

The Schillerplatz has always been a place where different paths come together. At the same time, as a small park, it is a place where one can linger. In this respect, the motif of encounter, exchange and negotiation is inscribed in Schillerplatz from the ground up.

Conceived by Academy | Art | Public Sphere, the series of events with different focal points is intended to bring the teaching taking place at the Academy to the outside and invite public debate on socially relevant topics. The focus is on involving and generating a public at Schillerplatz. As a central signal for these meetings, furniture designed and built by students creates a setting that is staged and designed by students and lecturers from different departments, together with invited institutional cooperation partners and international guests. Once a semester, debates on various key topics are held jointly and openly for everyone at Schillerplatz. The public is cordially invited to take part in the discourse.

The first event in October 2023 started with the two historical figures on the square, Friedrich Schiller and Johann von Goethe, and actively worked on the historical legacy that we as a contemporary art institution and society are confronted with in many respects with various program contributions. The two subsequent events in June and October 2024 dealt with questions about democracy from different perspectives in the super election year. On the one hand, architecture students constructed a scenic parliament on the square and tried out a culinary discourse tour, while on the other, in autumn, the Institute of Fine Arts organized an open Communal Walking Experience by and with the British conceptual artist Hamish Fulton, accompanied by artistic contributions from students, to explore how visual art can use its means to convey the concerns of democracy, the public sphere and public space and invite participation.

The next edition of Platz nehmen #4 will take place on October 6, 2025. The main topic and program will be announced in June.

We invite you to the table and to a public exchange!