The Secret Life of Objects explores how everyday and often overlooked objects can become powerful tools for memory, identity, and storytelling. The course examines theories of objects, archives, and collections, asking how material things acquire meaning and how they can be used in creative practice. Through readings, discussions, and visits to archival and museum collections in Weimar, we explore how artists, museums, and archives use objects to preserve memory, question certain narratives, and engage audiences. Students are encouraged to select an ordinary object and develop a creative archival project, ranging from interactive installations and conceptual collections to performative and digital narratives. The course ends with the collective creation of an “alternative museum” for the Bauhaus Summer and Spring School Open Studios, where students present their work and uncover the often overlooked stories, memories, and associations connected to everyday objects.

​

Part of the Art and Design course programme for the Bauhaus Spring School and Bauhaus Summer School at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.