Designing a German-Israeli cultural bridge

The HIT Faculty of Design, in collaboration with the International School of Design in Cologne (KISD), Germany, invites you to take a journey into another culture.

The Israeli and German students, creators of the exhibition | Photo: Avraham Askaf

The "Let's Talk Straight' exhibition is a joint project dedicated to cultural dialogue between the cities of Tel Aviv and Cologne.  It was created by 11 Cologne students and 8 HIT students, under the respective guidance of Prof. Wolfgang Laubersheimer from KISD and Architect Galit Yavin Davisdson from the HIT Department of Interior Design.

"We created a visual game that we called “zoom in-zoom out”. We discovered that like people, cities also have an identity and urban movement," says Architect Yavin Davidson. "The students created a personal portrait of a city girl based on their world of content and at the same time created an external portrait of the cities of Tel Aviv and Cologne in which they live and work. It turned out that the dreams and fears of the city girl from Tel Aviv are similar to those of the girl from Cologne"
The close connection between the similar yet different departments, as well as between the lecturers from Germany and Israel, was almost immediate.

Photo: Avraham Askaf

The exhibition was brought to fruition through intense collaboration between the students.  Drawing on all of our senses, this can be seen in the visual installations, heard in the audio installations ultimately connecting the viewers through the very captivating, yet individual meaning that emerges from it.

"It is interesting and important to see how young people manage to work together and bridge the cultural gaps between them. My connection with the Department of Interior Design at HIT is deep, and it creates a symbiosis that provides the elements of success. I feel that during this work, we developed a mutual understanding and closeness" says Prof. Lubersheimer.  He enthusiastically adds that the next step will be for HIT students to help organize the exhibition on the campus of the University of Cologne.

Photo: Avraham Askaf

The Faculty of Design at HIT enjoys extensive international collaborations with academic institutions around the world.  This can take on many different formats, with the overriding goal to expose students and lecturers to different content worlds and approaches in teaching design from near and far. 

The current exhibition is the product of an ongoing collaboration between KISD and the HIT Faculty of Design and is generously supported by the Office of the State of Nordrhein-Westfalen in Israel.
The exhibition can be viewed in the Vitrina Julia Mizrahi Gallery, until 15.10.2022

Posted: 02/10/2022