Public guided tours on the subject of art in architecture at the BTU

Registration is required and possible by email: fg-kunstgeschichte(at)b-tu.de.

Friday, 8 November 2024, 14:00-16:00
Art and Campus
Meeting point in front of the main building of BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Platz der Deutschen Einheit 1, 03046 Cottbus

Today's Cottbus site of the Brandenburg University of Technology was established in the 1970s with the so-called education centre with school and teaching buildings for around 6,000 young people. Numerous works of art from this period can still be seen today. Further works were created after reunification as part of new university buildings. Political and ideological works of art from the GDR enter into a dialogue with contemporary art and place the university in its historical and geographical context in a very specific way. BTU students, who also wrote the texts for the Cottbus chapter of the exhibition "70 Years of Art in Architecture" at the IKMZ, will guide interested visitors to selected works together with Dr Miriam-Esther Owesle from the History of Art and Architecture chair and provide explanations.

Thursday, 14 November 2024, 15:00-16:30
Sorbian/Wendish art in the public space of Cottbus/Chóśebuz
Meeting point Sorbenbrunnen, Schlosskirchplatz, 03046 Cottbus

The city of Cottbus/Chóśebuz has a unique collection of Sorbian/Wendish art in public spaces: mosaics, sculptures, murals and fountains with Sorbian/Wendish motifs. Much of this architectural heritage dates back to the 1970s and 1980s and is now a listed building. During the tour, Hannah Wellpott, Sorbian Institute, and Christina Kliem, Wendish Museum, will present selected works in the city centre. Participants will discuss the visibility, preservation and promotion of Sorbian/Wendish art in public spaces in the context of sustainable and minority-sensitive urban development.

Friday, 22 November 2024, 14:00-16:00 hrs
Art and campus
Meeting point in front of the main building of BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Platz der Deutschen Einheit 1, 03046 Cottbus

Today's Cottbus site of the Brandenburg University of Technology was created in the 1970s with the so-called education centre with school and teaching buildings for around 6,000 young people. Numerous works of art from this period can still be seen today. Further works were created after reunification as part of new university buildings. Political and ideological works of art from the GDR enter into a dialogue with contemporary art and place the university in its historical and geographical context in a very specific way. BTU students, who also wrote the texts for the Cottbus chapter of the exhibition "70 Years of Art in Architecture" at the IKMZ, will guide interested visitors to selected works together with Christoph Feinweber from the History of Art and Architecture chair and provide explanations.

The travelling exhibition "70 Jahre Kunst am Bau in Deutschland"

For 70 years, state-commissioned art has enriched our lives and our everyday lives. Art in architecture can be found in almost all federal, state and municipal institutions, yet only very few works are generally known. The travelling exhibition "70 Years of Art in Architecture in Germany" presents almost 60 works at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) - including sculptures, wall works, installations and plaza designs. The exhibition was organised by the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building and the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR) to mark the anniversary. It has been on display at various locations since 2021 and can be seen at the BTU's IKMZ until 26 November 2024.

The exhibition is divided into ten chapters. Three chapters follow a chronological dramaturgy to present the art in architecture from the founding phase of the two German states and to highlight the art created in the context of the differentiation of the state system in West and East and the expansion of the joint capital Berlin after reunification. The remaining chapters focus on specific aspects of the genre. The exhibition is complemented by a media station showing films and interviews with art-in-architecture protagonists on the creation of artworks, as well as a chapter on construction-related art in Cottbus.

The contributions for the Cottbus chapter were compiled by Prof. Dr Sylvia Claus, Professor of History of Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Urban Planning at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, and her students in collaboration with the Sorbian Institute.