Open BTU: Discovering and preserving (socialist) art in buildings

Discovering and preserving (socialist) art in architecture

1st lecture

Mosaic and glass crumbs - the The fate of the murals at BTU Cottbus

Anyone who has ever been to Rome, Ravenna or the Computing Centre in Potsdam knows mosaics made of glass blocks - but who has ever seen colourful glass shards?

Cottbus residents only need to look at the "People and Education" mural on the central campus of the BTU to find out. The coating with coloured glass crumbs was developed for building-related art so that it could be used in the production of panels for panel construction. Glass as a colourant is durable - but the plastic as a binding agent makes the preservation of the mural a challenge.

Speaker: Prof. Dipl.-Rest. Mechthild Noll-Minor, Brandenburg State Office for Architectural Conservation and Archaeological State Museum (BLDAM), Head of Department Building Research and Restoration, Architectural Painting, Wall Painting

2nd lecture

FIFTY - FIFTY - The fateful years of architectural art in the GDR

For 20 years now, the trained architect, photographer and artist Martin Maleschka has been documenting the disappearance of the architectural heritage of the GDR. Growing up in Eisenhüttenstadt in the 1980s, he was influenced by buildings of the national building tradition from the early 1950s as well as new housing estates of the late GDR in prefabricated construction on the outskirts of the city. For the "Open BTU" lecture series, he mirrors fragments of what he experiences on his field research tours. He draws on his extensive archive and uses selected examples to show how the architectural heritage of the GDR was dealt with after 1990, is currently being dealt with and should be dealt with more sustainably in the future.

Speaker: Martin Maleschka, photographer and architect

Moderation: Prof. Dr Sylvia Claus, BTU, Chair of History of Art

The lectures will take place as part of the travelling exhibition "70 years of art in architecture in Germany"will take place. They are organised by the ZWW in cooperation with the Chair of History of Art and the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR). The programme of the permanent exhibition can be found here. The event is being organised with the kind support of the BBR.

Venue

BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Audimax 1 (Konrad-Wachsmann-Allee 3, 03046 Cottbus)

About the Open BTU lecture series

From 16 October 2024 to 29 January 2025, the public lecture series "Open BTU" will offer insights into exciting scientific fields. In the winter semester, the following topics will be examined from different perspectives:

• 70 years of art in architecture in Germany

• Our Lusatia in transition - a look at the energy and economic turnaround from a historical and future perspective

With this educational format, which is open to all interested parties, the university's Centre for Continuing Education supports lifelong learning and funds the transfer of knowledge and ideas in the region by addressing socially relevant issues. The BTU co-operates with other universities and institutions. Each lecture will be followed by an opportunity for questions and dialogue with the speakers. Anyone interested is cordially invited to take part in the wide-ranging programme of events.