Points of contact

The result is personal texts, or “labels from the younger generation”, that supplement the current labels for the paintings on display and – in a manner of speaking – give viewers more perspectives from which to view the art. Mia looks back and forth between the wall with the framed canvas and her notes. After all, while meandering through the museum, this particular work caught her eye. Now she’s asking herself: why? What is appealing about it to her? What connects her to this image? This is not an exercise in knowledge about art history, but rather unbiased examination with a clean slate. Although it’s not just about looking at the work, but also about feelings, experiences, and memories. It’s about points of contact, and everything that triggers associations and emotions in the young museum-goers.

These labels are the result of a partnership between the Museumsdienst and the Museumsschule Köln. Dr Stephanie Sonntag, the Wallraf specialist at the Museumsdienst, hopes that the students will write texts that supplement the more traditional labels. The Museumsschule compiled a list of incisive questions, and based the project on a longstanding concept in the field of education, at times even allowing the primary school children to discover the museum and its works alongside students from higher grades. The “big kids” – for Mia, this is the 16-year-old Amir – accompany them and help the children put their thoughts to paper. For Stephanie Sonntag, the texts are not only a unique means of participation and appreciation by the museum-goers of tomorrow, but are also a great enrichment for the Wallraf Museum. “Adults will also be quite interested in these, because it’s not uncommon for these rather personal perspectives to lead to entirely new, surprising insights.” They will also be collected in a book called Points of Contact.