Román's Blocker Project Entries

The Humboldt Forum upon first impressions for me was a new type of museum institution in comparison to other museums that I have been to. Upon its many controversies I have built an increasingly critical view of the Forum in a way that helps me create a type of ideal space where reflection and action that can be done in a museum setting, particularly in a setting that holds various archeological artifacts. Now, the Humboldt Forum in a broader sense holds space for conversations that are other than just acknowledging colonial and imperial history that I also enjoy to see. For context, the Humboldt Forum hosts different exhibitions that have different categories of items that ranges from the sciences to the humanities and the arts in its different levels. A particular space that really holds the space to start deep conversations about various topics is the Humboldt Lab. The Humboldt Lab, located on the first floor is a 1,000+ square space where, in partnership with Humboldt- Universität,

  After a couple of weeks exploring the streets of Berlin, I have had a chance to get a first impression of the museums at the center of Berlin, Museum Island, otherwise known as Museuminsel. Even though I had previous knowledge about one of the institutions of the island, the Humboldt Forum, I knew nothing about the other museums. Starting from the north of the island, the museums consist of the Bode-Museum, Pergamonmuseum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, James-Simon-Galerie, Altes Museum, and finally the Humboldt Forum. There are other museums and galleries around the island but for the moment, I will talk about these main institutions for now. Upon first glance, the buildings of many of these institutions are grand in size and can be classified as Neoclassical, Baroque, and modern. However, beyond that, there are visible signs of damage that can be clearly seen all over the island. Most of these damages are bullet holes; as told by multiple tour guides, these holes come from th