Key-words: Exhibition design, White Cube, Social catalyst, Participatory, Refugees
This research explores the social catalyst potential of the exhibitions. The experiments pointed that social interaction and participation enhances the visitor experience for a deeper reflection about the content and connection to the local community. As a medium for messages, exhibitive spaces achieve it by using sensorial elements and symbols, while play with them iWn a specific time and space to communicate an intended content. Nonetheless, in the global village context, it is arguable whether different cultures are equally represented there. This research arguments that display is provide voices to ideologies. Hence, the exhibitions can bridge cultures, and as a consequence, shape a more diverse cultural production in the context of the postcolonial and globalized world. This argument question the ideology of the “White Cube” as neutral space, conceptualized by Brian O’Doherty, which is still the mainstream approach for an exhibitive space: introspective,
top-down, institutionalized, elitist. As a way to subvert this structure, this research proposes that the role of the curator, exhibition designer and installation artist to be blended. As a consequence, it fosters social innovation and intercultural exchange, not only through design of participation, but also through participatory design. The participatory method served as the access to a minority group in Cologne: the Syrian & Kurd refugees. They were approached through Workshops and a Toolkit, exploring their Identity and Feeling of belonging. It intended to understand the group, build a community and curate the content through dialog. As a final experiment, the exhibition “Where is home?” was designed and curated for the TH Köln celebration of the World Refugee Day, a date established by the UNHCR to foster discussion around the world. As a result, seven installations were developed, inspired by relational art:
Tree of Wishes, In/Outside of the box, Invented borders, Papyrus, Postcard, Music, Around the table.
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