Bauhaus Summer School 2026

Photo: Carlos Santos, Bauhaus Spring School 2026

The Secret Life of Objects: Archiving and Storytelling through Everyday Things

Objects are never just things. They carry stories, memories, and meanings. Sometimes hidden, sometimes questioned.

This course explores how ordinary and overlooked objects can be archived and activated into powerful carriers for memory, identity and used as tools for storytelling and interaction. Students will first be introduced to theories and practices around objects, collections, and archives, engaging readings like Dawn Raffel’s The Secret Life of Objects, Yanagi Sōetsu’s The Beauty of Everyday Things, and Sue Breakell and Wendy Russell's The Materiality of the Archive. We will discuss how artists, museums, and archives work with material culture to provoke questions, preserve memory, and spark audience participation.

There will also be visits to archival and museum collections in Weimar (such as the Archiv der Moderne and Bauhaus-Universität Weimar Bibliothek) to conduct hands-on research. Each student will then select an object, ordinary or overlooked, and develop a creative archival project. These may take the form of interactive installations, conceptual collections, performative storytelling, or digital narratives.

The second week will conclude with a group-built “alternative museum,” where participants present their projects for the Bauhaus Summer School Open Studios. Together, we will reveal the surprising, layered lives of the objects around us.

The Bauhaus Summer School

The Bauhaus Summer School is the international summer programme of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. Every year, it offers up to 300 prospective students, undergraduates and graduates from around 70 nations the opportunity to participate in courses focusing on art, architecture, technology, media and languages.

Those interested, are welcome to apply by May 31st 2026. More information on the course offer and how to register can be found at www.uni-weimar.de/summerschool