At the invitation of Ulm Minster master builder Dr. Heidi Vormann and city dean Dr. Thorsten Krannich, fifth-semester students led by Prof. Dr. Markus Caspers developed strategies for communicating the construction work on Ulm Minster. The occasion for this was not only the 650th anniversary of the Gothic cathedral. In particular, the upcoming repairs to the vault in the nave, which are planned to take several years, require accompanying communication measures.
Creative coating for the Ulm landmark
In five teams, the students worked out how the cathedral can become an artistically inspiring and historically and culturally informative meeting place. They presented their results on July 1, 2024 to representatives of the Münsterbauhütte, the cathedral parish, the Protestant city deanery, the city of Ulm and the local press. The project ideas include an artistic cladding of the central scaffolding and the temporary addition of a light and sound installation to the sacred building under the motto "Divine Echoes". Another team developed an idea for the placement of a mobile information kiosk on the market square to provide information about the renovation work. Another group designed a so-called "thought corridor" around the cordoned-off part of the nave. This semi-transparent wall of information and ideas is intended to reflect on the history of the cathedral and encourage visitors to reflect on it with historical comparisons
Project supervisor Prof. Dr. Markus Caspers is delighted with the cooperation: "A project of this scope and with these perspectives is not often offered to a university. I am enthusiastic about the project ideas and would be delighted if our work could contribute to the transformation of Ulm Minster into an experience space."
