Campus for Design and Art

Visit of the African partner university from Kigali/Rwanda

Foto: Hochschule Trier

The University of Rwanda in Kigali has been in a partnership with the Campus of Art and Design for many years. There are regular reciprocal visits in the form of summer schools. In June 2024, an interdisciplinary group visited the Campus in Trier.

The project was funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of HAW.International.

The Dean, Prof. Dr. Matthias Sieveke, together with the team from the International Office at Trier University of Applied Sciences, welcomed the guests from Africa in the auditorium at Paulusplatz. During a subsequent campus tour, they were given a comprehensive insight into the courses offered by the Faculty of Design. The guests visited the studios and workshops on campus with great interest.

Throughout the week, the African students took part in various workshops together with students from Trier. The program was rounded off with cultural excursions to the region, to the Centre Pompidou in Metz and to Bernkastel-Kues. The students also got to know the delegation from Taiwan, who were visiting the Campus at the same time, at sociable evening events such as a joint barbecue.

Workshop Street Photogragraphy "Coincidental sculptural forms in urban landscape"
Prof. Valerie Schmidt - Transmedia photographic narration and image design, communication design
After an introduction to the topic of documentary photography in urban space, a photo walk through the city center took place. The aim was to photographically capture randomly formed sculptural forms off the beaten track of the Moselle metropolis. The photographers were in search of the ephemeral and the unconventional. The aim was to create an individual serial photographic work, which was later assembled into a long sequence by the entire group.

Cyanotype workshop "Trier as a palimpsest"
Prof. Robert Thum, Architecture
The students set out to trace the multi-layered, 2000-year history of settlement in the city of Trier and discovered the different time periods that coexist in the city's structure. As an introduction, they examined the historical significance of Trier and explored how Roman, medieval, Renaissance and modern influences have left their mark. Using techniques such as frottage, cyanotypes and photographic field recordings, the students documented their findings.

The resulting works were presented at the end of the week in the form of an exhibition. University President Prof. Dr. Dorit Schumann was also a guest at this event and was impressed by the creative results of the international collaboration during the project week:

"This is a prime example of intercultural work at the highest creative and scientific level. The workshops strengthen our cooperation as Trier University of Applied Sciences with two important partner countries – Rwanda and Taiwan – enormously. I will remember the experience of the high-quality exhibitions and inspiring discussions for a long time to come."

Foto: Hochschule Trier

03. July 2024 Created by: SK