The project-bound seminar titled "Exhibition as Architecture" for the summer semester of 2026 will be a collaboration between Expanded Museum Studies and the Institute of Architecture. This seminar will engage with past and current exhibitions, exploring both spatial and conceptual perspectives. Students from both Expanded Museum Studies and Architecture will work together to analyze and reflect on the design, spatial organization, and theoretical frameworks of these exhibitions. The course aims to deepen the understanding of spatial practices, design processes, and the role of display in the context of exhibitions. The final output takes the form of presentations, including analytical work as well as reworkings or re-enactments of exhibitions through models and plans.

Students will be provided with a curated reading list introducing key theoretical frameworks and critical discourses pertinent to the course. Working in cross-disciplinary groups of approximately four, they will analyse selected case studies, interrogating their conceptual, artistic, and architectural dimensions through a theoretical lens. Each group will subsequently develop models that synthesize and reinterpret the theoretical insights and design strategies derived from their reference projects. Following the introductory lectures, students will work independently within their groups, receiving regular feedback through weekly desk critiques.

(Expanded Museum Studies) The seminar is aimed at students in the secound semester of the Expanded Museum Studies program. Registration for both seminars is mandatory. https://base.uni-ak.ac.at/courses/2026S/S05964/

(Architecture) Students enrolled in both components of the course will further develop their projects for a public exhibition and produce a comprehensive booklet documenting the research process, theoretical investigations, and design outcomes.

Lecturers: Aaron Amar Bhamra (Expanded Museum Studies) & Eldine Heep (Architecture)