Hortus conclusus — Exhibition design

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Hortus conclusus (lat.) describes an enclosed, well-kept garden. Dating back as far as to ancient Greece, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, gardens were a symbol of knowledge and education. The exhibition Hortus conclusus references back to this garden of knowledge by showcasing the historic teaching materials of the School of Arts and Crafts, Pforzheim.

Up until this point, books, models and patterns from the early beginnings of Pforzheim School of Arts and Crafts were kept in the local archive and the Jewelery Museum Pforzheim. Additionally, plaster casts and sculptures have been recently discovered that were previously hidden away in the attic of the school. Some of the taxidermy models even date back to Fin de Siècle of the 19th century. In this unprecedented exhibition, the Pforzheim School of Arts and Crafts gives insights into the unique collection of historic teaching materials and — in times of homeschooling and blended learning — raises the question: "What do we need, to be able to study?"

Exhibition Architecture

Hortus conclusus took place in the upper floor of the Faculty of Design of Pforzheim University. An enclosed pool was created in the middle of the room by arranging several 1x2m wooden platforms in a rectangular shape. Accessible via a ramp, the 20cm high plateau offers a great view of all the displayed teaching materials.

Art Installation

Enlarged copies of inventory lists were printed onto transparent paper and hung across a ten meter wall. This makes the process of curating, documenting and re-discovering the historic teaching materials experienceable to the visitors. They can thus immerse themselves into the written records of the collection. The transparent banners were folded in half and hung across fishing line. This mimics the thin and fragile pages of the inventory books that are also displayed in the exhibition.

Print Paraphernalia

Besides post cards, we designed an illustrated legend of the bassin in which the teaching materials were layed out.

The legend was printed on A3 paper and bound like a drawing pad. After tearing a sheet off, visitors were able to walk around the garden of knowledge and find out more about the objects that sparked their interest. The post cards and list of exhibits were printed on INAPA Enviro Harmony paper, which has been awarded with the Blue Angel for exeptional sustainability.