Between Paradise and Hell

The controversy surrounding utopian living and the reality of life in Tubingen’s south end is the subject of a special exhibition entitled “Between Paradise and Hell” by the Stadtmuseum Tübingen. The French Quarter in Tübingen is widely regarded as exemplary in terms of its urban planning and social concept. Yet to what extent do the ambitions of urban planning diverge from social reality? And how much do ethical standards of diversity and openness play a role in everyday practice? The Stadtmuseum Tübingen hopes to come up with answers to these and other questions in collaboration with local residents. Together with partner organisations, artists and citizens of the French Quarter and its two socially dissimilar neighbouring districts, the museum will develop a special exhibition which compares and contrasts urban-planning visions and media depictions with the residents’ perspectives. The modules of the exhibition will be collaboratively developed for display in public space and interactively modified on a continual basis. In various interdisciplinary formats, such as a “Mobile Living Room” and a “Neighborhood Whisper Box”, the residents of Tübingen will be able to compare their visions and prejudices about their city with the reality of life. Culturally significant objects and stories of daily life will be compiled using the methods of oral history.

The collected stories and items will form the content of a special exhibition at the Stadtmuseum. The project organisers also plan to publish an exhibition catalogue and video documentation. At the end of the special exhibition, some of its components will be integrated into the museum’s permanent exhibition on city history.

Title: Between Paradise and Hell – Utopian Living and the Reality of Life in Tübingen’s South End

Partners: Werkstadthaus Tübingen / Werkstatt für Eigenarbeit e.V., Nachbarschaftliche Selbsthilfe (NaSe), Kirch am Eck and others