Art and Train: A class about art in the railway context

"Art and Train" is a class that merges theory with practice, conducted both on campus and aboard actual trains, guiding interdisciplinary students and young professionals in creating public art installations at a subway station in Berlin and a former train station in Brandenburg.

Collaborating with Deutsche Bahn (DB), Berlin's subway organization BVG, and Herzberg town hall, this immersive class delves into questions of who creates art within the railway context and for whom it is intended. Through theoretical discussions, field research, and group exhibitions, students explore the aesthetics of train travel and the potential of disused railway architecture. Engaging with relevant texts such as "The Railway Journey" by W. Schivelbusch, students visit otherworldy railway spaces such as interlocking towers of DB, disused control posts of BVG, and a former train station in Herzberg, documenting their experiences through various mediums. 

Through architectural and artistic lenses, students gain insights into making art accessible to a wider audience and learn about unique approaches independent artists employ within the realm of public transport. Collaborating for an exhibition at one U-Bahn station in Berlin and the former train station in Herzberg, students expand their portfolios based on gathered input and their documented experiences with a chance to interact with a public from Berlin and Brandenburg, too. 

"Art and Train" has been an award-winning class for its innovative concept at Bauhaus University Weimar since 2020, particularly for teaching on trains and for the art cooperations with railway companies. Students from diverse backgrounds such as fine arts, architecture, engineering, literature, music, and more, as well as young professionals from various fields, are invited to apply.

Natalia Irina Roman - City researcher, artist, and curator, Natalia brings a diverse background in fine arts and public policy to her work, with studies at Bard College Berlin, Hertie School of Governance and Bauhaus University Weimar. Her artworks, in mediums such as installation, concept art, video, photography, text, and participatory art, have been showcased in solo and group exhibitions across Germany and abroad, and recently in New York City. With experience at institutions including Berliner Festspiele, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin International Film Festival Berlinale, and the Hertie Foundation, Natalia has contributed significantly to the cultural landscape. As a jury member for the Draussenstadt Call for Action competition for public art in Berlin, she facilitated the distribution of over 1 Million Euro to independent projects in 2021, in 2022 and in 2023. Natalia has been working as an artist and curator in a self-initiated art cooperationwith Deutsche Bahn since 2017, including the initiative "Along the Lines," which transforms disused interlocking towers into art spaces for train passengers. Supported by funding from Hauptstadtkulturfonds, this initiative has led to exhibitions, public discussions, and classes taught at Bauhaus University Weimar and UdK Berlin. Recently, Natalia served as a Fulbright Fellow and Visiting Artist at Columbia University in New York City in 2024, where she focused on exhibitions and lectures exploring the railway context and realized a project of art in public space for train passengers.
www.nataliairinaroman.eu