New Exhibition at the Steinmühle: Reflecting on Human Rights and Their Foundations

A new exhibition at the Steinmühle, featuring works in the atrium, the Centrum, and the main building, is themed “Human Rights.” It was created by Thomas Gebauer, an artist and activist whose previous exhibition, “People, Diversity, Future,” was very well received.

“The exhibition should be seen as a tool of the ‘Future Workshop: Democracy and Education,'” says art teacher Ines Vielhaben. Students in her 10th-grade elective course (WU) “Kulturallee” were actively involved in the arrangement and installation of the exhibition.

The Human Rights exhibition consists of 28 large-format photographs that visually incorporate human rights concepts in both English and Arabic. They depict scenes and situations related to the democracy movement (2011–12) during the Arab Spring in Sfax, Marburg’s sister city in Tunisia, and address the Tunisian people’s call for freedom, democracy, and justice during that time. The photographs by Thomas Gebauer are complemented by posters from Basic Rights – Survival Goods poster exhibition, which presents the theme of democracy as the foundation, perspective, and prerequisite for a dignified participation in life based on freedom and justice, and illustrates access to essential resources for survival in a global context.

 

Can be incorporated into lessons

The exhibition focuses on the 30 fundamental human rights enshrined by the UN in 1948 in the context of resources essential for life and survival, such as water, food, education, health, and justice. The entire human rights exhibition was produced by its initiator, Thomas Gebauer, as a high-quality, portable exhibition module printed on truck tarps, so that it can be borrowed by schools and educational institutions throughout the Marburg-Biedenkopf district along with accompanying teaching materials.

“The exhibition,” says Steinmühlen art teacher Ines Vielhaben, “can be incorporated into subject-specific instruction in various ways.” Possible options include project days, themed visits, and block-schedule visits for all grade levels, as well as an evening event as a cultural program featuring a slide presentation followed by a discussion. If you are interested, Thomas Gebauer is available as the direct contact (agent21 Zukunftswerkstatt, email: thomas.a.gebauer@gmail.com).