Open Class is an open, experimental course format that offers students space for their own ideas, design project development, exchange, and research. Forms of expression such as installation, film, drawing, or digital contexts are just as welcome here as a focused photographic approach. Each semester, Open Class sets a new thematic focus.

This semester centers on “Urban Emotions and the Future”:
How do emotions shape our imagination of the future? And how do they shape urban space? The future does not simply appear as a continuation of the present but is largely determined by the images and concepts we create of it. As Heinz von Foerster put it, “The cause lies in the future.” Actions do not arise solely from what has happened, but also from the expectations we have for the future. This also brings into focus the question of what special role design and images play in these visions of the future.

The course invites students to develop their own artistic-design projects that explore the interplay of emotion, urban space, visual representation, and questions of the future. Anyone who wants to can present a solo/duo project on the wall as part of the experimental Changeover exhibition series.

The program includes a workshop with Prof. Dr. Miriam Paeslack (Visual Studies) on Longing and Belonging in the City, Urban Representations, and the Emotional Turn. In addition, a virtual guest lecture will be given by cultural anthropologist Dr. Meghana Joshi, who examines urbanity through the lenses of loneliness, belonging, and care.

Field trip:
To deepen our project work, we will be taking a field trip to Paris from November 13 to 17 to visit current exhibitions on emotion, urban space, and the future, with a focus on photography. The main stop will be Paris Photo—the world’s most important fair for contemporary photography. We will also visit the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP, photographic narratives & images of the future), the Jeu de Paume (documentary photography & urban spaces), Le BAL (socio-political photography & urbanity), and the Palais de Tokyo (contemporary art & questions about the future). The program will also include the Némo Biennale (digital media art & urban transformation), the Nocturnes des Galeries (contemporary positions in galleries), and photographic city explorations.

For questions, I will offer a course Zoom session on Tuesday, September 23, from 1–2 pm.
https://thws-de.zoom-x.de/j/64876406443