Co-Curation for "Handle With Care – An Exhibition about Narratives, Emotions and Perspectives from a Migration Society"

This exhibition explores the emotional landscapes connected to migration: pride, nostalgia, grief, joy, melancholy, and anger. Sometimes triggered by objects, sometimes by memories or stories, these emotions reflect deeply personal yet widely shared experiences.

Developed collaboratively with participants from Cologne’s urban society – including both former and new DOMiDLab contributors – the exhibition was created in partnership with exhibition designers Studio Quack, co-curator Deniz Weber, and the DOMiD project team. It was inspired by the DOMiD collection and looks ahead to the future migration Museum Selma currently under development in Cologne-Kalk.

Together, the team investigated how stories and objects that evoke powerful emotions could be presented sensitively in a museum context. Handle with Care not only showcases diverse migration experiences but also creates space for visitors to reflect, share, and emotionally engage with the themes presented. The exhibition opened on October 12, 2024, at GOLD+BETON and Gemeinde Köln.

Sidenotes:

Personal Highlight – COSMO Radio Interview
As part of the Handle with Care project, my father was interviewed by COSMO Radio. This moment fills me with joy :), as it adds a deeply personal layer to our collective work. Listen to the interview here →

Further Reading – DOMiDLabs Digital Publication
The DOMiDLabs digital publication offers in-depth insights into the collaborative process behind Handle with Care. It documents the project’s development and reflects on how participatory exhibition and museum design can be implemented in practice. Read the publication here →

_thek is an independent collective curating various exhibitions and self organised events around Germany with their headquater in Düsseldorf and Berlin. The idea is to reinterpret rooms in cities, transform them and re-use it for divers events – from dance battle, indoor skatepark, screenings, diskothek or as a walk-in tattoo studio – for a short term period the location is another one. _thek is based on fun collaborations with other artists, working on new concepts and ideas. Initiators of the team are Christof Schumacher, Valerie-Siba Rousparast, Vera Fudim, Raoul Gottschling and Deniz Weber. 

Within 3 month we came up with around 30 "teaser" workshops involving Music, Arts, Food and Movement to see if others loke to attend and ask for more. Focus as to create spaces with very low barriers to interact thats why most of the offers took place in or around our self-build kiosk in the middle of the hangar inviting all to be part. 

From wood buidling the kiosk, over painting and graffiti, to dj-ing, beat making and rap we came up with collective dinner sessions and dance lessons – all for free, all welcome.

Silence Kills is a multidisciplinary independent and uncommercial project with the aim to use design and communication to make anti-racist content and to reproduce inspiring activist positions on different media like posters, apparel and workshops instead.

All profit goes directly to NGO´s and initiatives fighting in different fields of anti-discrimination.

Sidenotes:

Personal Highlight – COSMO Radio 
As part of the Handle with Care project, my father was interviewed by COSMO Radio. This moment fills me with joy :), as it adds a deeply personal layer to our collective work. Listen to the interview here →

Further Reading – Digital Publication
The DOMiDLabs digital publication offers in-depth insights into the collaborative process behind Handle with Care. It documents the project’s development and reflects on how participatory exhibition and museum design can be implemented in practice. Read the publication here →

_thek – a Multilocal Curatorial Collective

A participative research project of a culture and arts strategy in Tempelhof Airport, Berlin. 

The goal of HANGAR1 is to facilitate access to societal participation for all. True to their motto "Encounters strengthen society," we aim to bring together people with different backgrounds and make encounters the norm at HANGAR1. They achieve this by making HANGAR1 an authentic place where EVERYONE is welcome. A place that knows no barriers and is shaped by its visitors. The goal is to empower!

HANGAR1 originated from an emergency shelter for refugees that was in operation from 2015 to 2017 in the hangars of the former Tempelhof Airport. During that time, a wide range of support services for refugees was established in Hangar 1. More than 80 partners, with up to 500 employees and volunteers, worked tirelessly to make the process of "arriving in Germany" easier for people. Witnessing the significant impact this project had on reaching so many individuals led to the continuation of this unique civil society initiative after the closure of the emergency shelter, making it accessible to all Berlin residents.

The project Hangar_thek was developed in collaboration with theater educator Nico Ehl and social scientist Katharina Kipp to expand the offerings at Hangar1, which had traditionally focused on sports, into the realms of art and culture. 

What is art, and what is culture to us? These were the questions we explored during the conceptual and discovery phases in workshops with the Hangar1 team and peers of the visitors. Over a period of 5 months, we jointly developed the cornerstones of the art and culture strategy, which would serve as the foundation for the experimentation phase and workshops: ARTS, MUSIC, FOOD & MOVEMENT 

Within 3 month we came up with around 30 "teaser" workshops involving Music, Arts, Food and Movement to see if others loke to attend and ask for more. Focus as to create spaces with very low barriers to interact thats why most of the offers took place in or around our self-build kiosk in the middle of the hangar inviting all to be part. 

From wood buidling the kiosk, over painting and graffiti, to DJ-ing, beat making and rap we came up with collective dinner sessions and dance lessons – all for free, all welcome.

T-Shirts for many good causes: SupportYourLocalDealer.org

'178x84' – Billboard Experiment

Silence Kills – A multidisciplinary anti racist format