Fragments, ruins and space: the perception and representation of ancient spaces in modern contexts (hosting Key Topic Transformation)

Research Projects

• (C-3-1) Ktesiphon. Vermittlung von archäologischer Forschung im Museum anhand der Architekturtraditionen in sasanidischer und islamischer Zeit

  Within the Excellence Cluster Topoi, the researchers in this project developed an exhibition on Ctesiphon to show that the existing culture did not “simply come to an end” and that the new culture emerged from nothing. Cooperating partners were the Museum für Islamische Kunst – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the German Archaeology Institute (DAI), the University of Applied Sciences (HTW), the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) and the Institute for Museum Research – Staatliche Museen.

• (C-3-1-a) Modelling and vizualisation of findings and reconstruction hypotheses

  In this project researchers in architectonic visualization analyzed the material i.e. restauration, presentation and evaluation provided by other members of Topoi research group (C-3-1) Ctesiphon, in order to build a set of visual architectonic components, i.e. virtually photographed virtual models as the base for a filmic representation of Ctesiphon under the perspective of architecture.

• (C-3-3) Ruins – Museum visions

  Background of this research project was the 1882 Schinkel Competition and the “Open Competition for the Development of Museum Island in Berlin”, held in 1883/84. Fifty-two architects and architects’ associations took part in the latter competition in 1883 with the goal to develop and select a masterplan for an ensemble of museums on Spree Island in Berlin’s city center. The resulting blueprints for the redesign of Berlin’s Museum Island are today held at the Architecture Museum of the Technische Universität Berlin and served as the basis for this research project.

• (C-3-4) Ruins and space. A brief history of dealings with archaelogical excavation sites

  This project investigates the questions of whether and in what way the “making” of artificial ruins and their subsequent preservation and restoration, presentation and communication has changed over time. Because excavating is always destructive, and hence not all historical phases of a site can be preserved, decisions are made in the course of an excavation considering: which periods are the overriding concern of the excavation, which phases are to be preserved and documented (and how thoroughly). Decisions about the presentation of the site and which aspects of a site are to be given prominence and in what form involve discussions about reconstruction. By reflecting on decisions and developments at archaeological sites from the end of the 19th century until today, the project aims to create a heightened awareness of the importance of archaeological site management in the German research community.

• (C-3-5) Archaeotopia

  Founded in 2009, the “Archaeotopia” project focused throughout the first funding phase of the Excellence Cluster Topoi on the role of archaeological sites in the formation, representation and negotiation of social identities. Within the confines of a set of questions that arose during this first project phase, the project will now explore the role and significance of archeological sites in the formation of historical conceptions, as well as the negotiation, representation and development of those sites in a competitive field full of diverse players.

Dissertations

• (C-3-0-3) Glazed Islamic Pottery from Tacht-e Soleiman – Production and Provenance

  The project researches the Islamic pottery found at Tacht-e Soleiman in Iran and aims at understanding production and provenance. The mains focus lies on the archaeometric identification of a local pottery production.

• (C-3-1-1) Museum in transformation. A case study at the Museum of Islamic Art, Berlin

  Museums are one of the key sites for engaging with material cultures of the past. The last decades, however, have witnessed heated debates about the social and political role of museums. This Ph.D. project aims to contribute to the debate on the “futureability” of museum practices, that is, the competency to adapt to continuing change and the challenges of pluralistic societies.

• (C-3-1-2) From the raw material to cultural heritage - conservation studies on the Sasanian and early Islamic stucco decoration from Ctesiphon

  The subject of this Ph.D. project is the stucco decoration from the city of Ctesiphon, which is regarded as an important link between antiquity and early Islam. The main research objective is the reconstruction of the important stages of the objects biography by means of conservation and archaeometric analyses.