Play, laugh, be loud, romp, do nothing – and that in an exhibition house! Starting September 4, 2024, BAUBAU invites exactly that. In the play area for children designed by artist Kerstin Brätsch, more is allowed than is prohibited. Colorful wallpapers, structures, objects, and a range of "Loose Parts" (loose materials) shape spaces on the ground floor of the Gropius Bau that do not impose strict requirements but are determined by the children's activities. They set the direction and form for what happens here. Thus, this place becomes a space of possibility, which can change day by day.
BAUBAU starts in September 2024 in a prototype version and will develop and grow over the coming years, both inside and outside the Gropius Bau – in close exchange with children and their wishes, because this is their place.
Play
All children have the urge to play. This is how they learn to understand themselves and the world. Especially open, self-determined play is of great importance for emotional and social development. The educational concept for BAUBAU is therefore based on the foundations of free play: Here, children have the time, space, and permission to follow their own needs and interests. They are accompanied by playworkers – trained staff who create a safe and supportive environment in which children can play freely.
Art
BAUBAU playfully questions what a museum or art institution should be. The comprehensive spatial design developed by Kerstin Brätsch is full of references and inspirations: Elements from her earlier works, like marbling, paintings, or stucco marble works, reappear here in altered forms and materiality. The wallpapers, curtains, fabrics, seating furniture, and climbing frames are inhabited by dinosaurs, fantastic creatures, termite mounds, and abstract elements. With their quirky, funny, perhaps also somewhat eerie shapes, they create an open framework for free play.
Kerstin Brätsch's practice is designed to allow and incorporate external influences. While she has previously collaborated with artists or artisans, she now does so in a completely different way with children: She invites the children to reshape and further develop the space according to their own ideas and concepts without the artist's influence in unpredictable ways.
Monday 11:00 AM–7:00 PM
Tuesday closed
Wednesday 11:00 AM–7:00 PM
Thursday 11:00 AM–7:00 PM
Friday 11:00 AM–7:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM–7:00 PM
Sunday 10:00 AM–7:00 PM