At the Kunsthochschule Kassel (Kassel Art University), there is a tradition to hold an exhibition collective every summer which will be featuring the artworks of all the students of the school. This year is my first experience going to the event and I have never seen the campus look so alive as this. The university is divided into the fine arts classes, the product design classes and the communication design classes. The arts classes are then divided into plenty of branches, such as painting, sculpture, pottery, etc. The communication design classes are divided into illustrations, photography, animation, graphic design, etc. The products design classes into textile, movie-set, domestic goods, etc. Basically, the students of the arts are divided simply into the years and the design classes into the specialisation. In Rundgang – the name of this major event – all the students take part, though, no matter if you’re a first-year or ready to graduate soon.
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| Typography exhibition |
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| “Homemade: a selection of fruity cakes + Indian Masala Soup with lentil (vegetarian) Right here–>” |
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| Graphic Design shop |
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| Photography exhibition in the basement |
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| Animation class’s bar |
This year the event was spread into 5 days, starting from Wednesday (17.07.) until Sunday (21.07.). On Wednesday was the opening which started at 7 PM up until 1 AM. The next three days the event went on from 12 to 9 PM. Then it closes today, starting from 12 to 6 PM. Not only did you get to see the ongoing 5-day exhibitions, there were also occasional performances or movies. Every class also opened a bar/café near their classes, parallel to the exhibition they are hosting. There were tasty drinks and yummy food, starting from good ol’ cupcakes to vegetarian selections. They had classic alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and pretty cocktails. Too bad I was fasting. Haha.
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| Graphic design class’s patio |
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| Domestic good class’s exhibition |
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| Architectural models in the portico |
The main event for me was to see the artworks of my friends. Here are the photos Kumi took. They were amazing and as soon as I spotted them, my mind was blown. She said, each photo has its own characteristics and you can clearly see that from the photos themselves. These were all taken in Japan though it wasn’t really intentional that they should all be the ones she took in Japan. The end results are incredible! Japanese photography is always so soft and warm, for some reason. By the way, that’s Kumi portrayed below.
Here are some of Shasti‘s artworks, there was also an incredible painting alongside it, which you can see here. I love how she arranges the items of her creation and the words that she used to portray her works. Also, there’s a video playing in a loop on an iPad next to the David star made out of a string. You can also listen to the video as it has this music, which has such an effect to the movements. Unfortunately, I was unable to portray everything beautifully. And, yes, by the way, that black string wound around a spinning needle is actual human hair…hers, if anything else. She basically spun it herself. You can check out the video here, the spun hair process here and more on the jar of collected goods from nature here.
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| Needle out of human hair + collected goods from nature |
And, finally, Saku-chan‘s works. These three huge canvases are my favourite. I was instantly blown away as I spotted them. I love the feminine hue of the ladies and the natural beauty she put into them. Fact: not only did she paint the whole thing herself, she also made the canvases herself. These pictures don’t do them justice, ‘course. The canvases are actually pretty huge, like 100x200cm, give or take. Though her works seem so simple – compared to other artworks I do not understand – , it contains all these emotions and energy and splashes of colours that I adore. Aside from that, she also put up a lot of drawings as a study of Hanagasumi. Marvelous!
Of course my favourite exhibition was held by the illustrations class. They have walls covered with original comic pages and illustrations. There were also comic books on a huge table, all of which was to my liking, and their magazines, with special Rundgang discount. You could also see a wall, currently on the process of being painted – a mural in progress, just under the 2nd floor, where you can see more artworks. They also had postcards, posters and even t-shirts for sale, some items from Rotopolpress and Wild Wood as well. I was instantly in heaven and couldn’t help but to swoon all over. Needless to say, I actually purchased their magazine, Treibwerk. What can I say? It was 5€ off!
 |
| Mural in progress – apparently it changes everyday |
 |
| One of my favourite illustration works |
 |
| Items for sale: small zines, magazines, posters, stickers, pins, etc. |
All in all it was an interesting event and I am definitely going again next year. It was a whole lot like Japanese cultural festivals – usually held by schools and universities – what with each class opening a bar/café and performances every now and then at the big lecture hall – the only one on campus. It was kind of cute to see students roaming the halls with their parents, leading the way and/or showing off their latest masterpiece. It was kind of rare to see Germans be so…familial. I loved the unity of the student body in the air. Everyone seems to be having so much fun and enjoying each other’s company. Can’t wait for next year’s event already!
At the Kunsthochschule Kassel (Kassel Art University), there is a tradition to hold an exhibition collective every summer which will be featuring the artworks of all the students of the school. This year is my first experience going to the event and I have never seen the campus look so alive as this. The university is divided into the fine arts classes, the product design classes and the communication design classes. The arts classes are then divided into plenty of branches, such as painting, sculpture, pottery, etc. The communication design classes are divided into illustrations, photography, animation, graphic design, etc. The products design classes into textile, movie-set, domestic goods, etc. Basically, the students of the arts are divided simply into the years and the design classes into the specialisation. In Rundgang – the name of this major event – all the students take part, though, no matter if you’re a first-year or ready to graduate soon.
|
| Typography exhibition |
|
| “Homemade: a selection of fruity cakes + Indian Masala Soup with lentil (vegetarian) Right here–>” |
|
| Graphic Design shop |
|
| Photography exhibition in the basement |
|
| Animation class’s bar |
This year the event was spread into 5 days, starting from Wednesday (17.07.) until Sunday (21.07.). On Wednesday was the opening which started at 7 PM up until 1 AM. The next three days the event went on from 12 to 9 PM. Then it closes today, starting from 12 to 6 PM. Not only did you get to see the ongoing 5-day exhibitions, there were also occasional performances or movies. Every class also opened a bar/café near their classes, parallel to the exhibition they are hosting. There were tasty drinks and yummy food, starting from good ol’ cupcakes to vegetarian selections. They had classic alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and pretty cocktails. Too bad I was fasting. Haha.
|
| Graphic design class’s patio |
|
| Domestic good class’s exhibition |
|
| Architectural models in the portico |
The main event for me was to see the artworks of my friends. Here are the photos Kumi took. They were amazing and as soon as I spotted them, my mind was blown. She said, each photo has its own characteristics and you can clearly see that from the photos themselves. These were all taken in Japan though it wasn’t really intentional that they should all be the ones she took in Japan. The end results are incredible! Japanese photography is always so soft and warm, for some reason. By the way, that’s Kumi portrayed below.
Here are some of Shasti‘s artworks, there was also an incredible painting alongside it, which you can see here. I love how she arranges the items of her creation and the words that she used to portray her works. Also, there’s a video playing in a loop on an iPad next to the David star made out of a string. You can also listen to the video as it has this music, which has such an effect to the movements. Unfortunately, I was unable to portray everything beautifully. And, yes, by the way, that black string wound around a spinning needle is actual human hair…hers, if anything else. She basically spun it herself. You can check out the video here, the spun hair process here and more on the jar of collected goods from nature here.
|
| Needle out of human hair + collected goods from nature |
And, finally, Saku-chan‘s works. These three huge canvases are my favourite. I was instantly blown away as I spotted them. I love the feminine hue of the ladies and the natural beauty she put into them. Fact: not only did she paint the whole thing herself, she also made the canvases herself. These pictures don’t do them justice, ‘course. The canvases are actually pretty huge, like 100x200cm, give or take. Though her works seem so simple – compared to other artworks I do not understand – , it contains all these emotions and energy and splashes of colours that I adore. Aside from that, she also put up a lot of drawings as a study of Hanagasumi. Marvelous!
Of course my favourite exhibition was held by the illustrations class. They have walls covered with original comic pages and illustrations. There were also comic books on a huge table, all of which was to my liking, and their magazines, with special Rundgang discount. You could also see a wall, currently on the process of being painted – a mural in progress, just under the 2nd floor, where you can see more artworks. They also had postcards, posters and even t-shirts for sale, some items from Rotopolpress and Wild Wood as well. I was instantly in heaven and couldn’t help but to swoon all over. Needless to say, I actually purchased their magazine, Treibwerk. What can I say? It was 5€ off!
|
| Mural in progress – apparently it changes everyday |
|
| One of my favourite illustration works |
|
| Items for sale: small zines, magazines, posters, stickers, pins, etc. |
All in all it was an interesting event and I am definitely going again next year. It was a whole lot like Japanese cultural festivals – usually held by schools and universities – what with each class opening a bar/café and performances every now and then at the big lecture hall – the only one on campus. It was kind of cute to see students roaming the halls with their parents, leading the way and/or showing off their latest masterpiece. It was kind of rare to see Germans be so…familial. I loved the unity of the student body in the air. Everyone seems to be having so much fun and enjoying each other’s company. Can’t wait for next year’s event already!