International Fellowship for Young Researchers/Postdoctoral Scholars

13 December 2015

Exhibition Project: Universal Pictures of the Human – Information Graphics of the 1920s (Fritz Kahn / Otto Neurath)

Integrating the perspectives of art history, graphic design, and visual communication, the research project prepares an exhibition on two founders of modern information graphics, Fritz Kahn and Otto Neurath. Fellowship and exhibition are funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation in its International Museum Fellowship program, why we invite applications from residents of non-German speaking countries only; non-European applicants are especially welcome. The fellow will work with the holdings of the German National Library (DNB) in the German Museum of Books and Writing, Dr. Stephanie Jacobs, in Leipzig; additional academic supervision is provided by Prof. Dr. Patrick Rössler (University of Erfurt). The fellowships starts on April 1, 2016 and is granted for 18 months. Financial arrangements follow the German pay scale (TVöD) and take into account the individual situation of the awardees of the fellowships.

Expected activities

Thorough research on the subject matter, in order to develop a unique perspective for scientific debate which will become visible in the exhibition design;
Cooperation within the interdisciplinary research team at the DNB and the University of Erfurt;
Survey of the DNB holdings with regard to their usefulness for the exhibition, and suggestions for complementary loans;
Research in relevant institutions in Europe and the U.S., also aiming to create an issue-related network with the German Museum of Books and Writing;
Concept and idea for an exhibition design appropriate to the nature of the exhibits, including the spatial representation and virtual elements;
Supervision of the exhibition set-up; and Development of a PR concept to communicate the issue to a global public, including initiatives for a travelling version of the exhibition and editorial task for the catalogue.

Requirements

• Curatorial Experience, with printed objects in particular

• Excellent academic degree

• Relevant Education in art history (20th century), information design, graphic design, visual communication or related disciplines

• Outstanding Academic Record with contributions to avant-garde design of the 1920, preferably from a cross-cultural view

• Knowledge of German (at least reading skills), English and other relevant languages

Further information about the German Museum of Books and Writing of the German National Library, Leipzig and the University of Erfurt available at: http://www.dnb.de/EN/DBSM/dbsm_node.html – www.uni-erfurt.de/kommunikationswissenschaft.

Application/Deadline

Please submit your application with CV, copies of your last university degrees, a copy of your PhD thesis and up to three
articles, list of publications, and a first idea of what a possible approach of yours to the project could be (max. 3 pages) as pdf- files (maximum of 10 MB) by January 15, 2016 to:

University of Erfurt • Department of Communications • patrick.roessler@uni-erfurt.de

Direct informal enquiries may be made as well to Dr. Stephanie Jacobs (s.jacobs@dnb.de).

The DNB and the University of Erfurt do not refund any costs incurred in the application process.