By Daveth Fox and Ciara McDonald
Daveth Fox
Myself and fellow lecturer, Paul Duffy, recently brought a group of thirteen foundation degree design students from Omagh and Enniskillen on a trip to Berlin, where we experienced a fantastic few days in the city, taking in some of the artistic and creative sights of one of Europe's cultural hubs.
In what was a packed two day itinerary, we began by visiting the Deutsche Bank KunstHalle (Tate Modern Berlin), a Volkswagen exhibition entitled “we make future real”, and the Brandenburg Gate. Our second day was even busier still, as we took in the Bauhaus Museum, one of the most important schools of architecture, design and art of the 20th century, the Berlinische Galeri, (museum of Modern Art), the East Side Gallery, Berlin's Wall outdoor gallery, The Topography of Terror museum and the Holocaust Memorial.
The Berlinische Galerie was a particular highlight. It's one of the newest museums in the German capital and collects art from Berlin dating from 1870 to the present day – with both a local and international focus.
The artist Andreas Greiner has created an exhibition entitled “Agentur des Exponenten” (Agency of the Exponent) for the first big hall in the Berlinische Galerie. He has devised a three-part installation linking the various thematic strands in his work. At the centre is the skeleton of a broiler, a monumental celebration of the species made with a 3D printer. The sculpture Monument resembles the reconstruction of a winged dinosaur about to leap into the air or take flight.
It was a fantastic trip, and an experience which has taught our students a lot and which they won't forget anytime soon.
Art Students in Berlin
Ciara McDonald
Ciara McDonald is a Full Time Foundation Degree Design (Product & Graphic) student in Enniskillen. She shares a few thoughts and pictures from her time in Berlin.
From Belfast to Berlin, our adventure began at 3.00am as we sleepily journeyed through the night. Boarding countless buses, planes and trains we arrived in Alexanderplatz bright-eyed and keen to start exploring our new surroundings.
Over the next two days we would immerse ourselves in rich German culture. From the inspiring street art steeped in modernism to the old history echoing through every building we passed.
We trudged through the snow in -7 and warmed in quaint cosy cafés. We experienced mouth-watering German cuisine and at the end of the day relaxed with a drink in the buzzing culture hub that was the One80 hostel.
An experience that stood out for me personally was visiting the iconic Bauhaus museum. After having based several projects over the last two years on this famous German Modernism movement, it was surreal to see the designs I had spent hours researching before my very eyes.
The Berlinische Galerie, Berlin’s Museum of Modern Art, was also breath-taking. From sky-high sculptures to detailed fine-art paintings, we got the opportunity to view the works of Germany’s coveted creatives, across a trip that was as enjoyable as it was inspiring.