Der Hamburger Bahnhof war einer der großen Berliner Kopfbahnhöfe des 19. Jahrhunderts – ein Ort des Ankommens, Aufbruchs und Übergangs. Bis heute prägt diese Geschichte das Museum für zeitgenössische Kunst im Zentrum Berlins. Der Hamburger Bahnhof ist wie Berlin voller Vielschichtigkeit, Brüche und hat Veränderung als stetige Konstante.
Lights On! Sustaining Light-Based Art
As part of its 30th anniversary programme, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart is hosting the symposium Post Discipline. The Future of Art History, Collection Care, and Public Engagement for Museums of Contemporary Art (12 – 14 November 2026). The three-day gathering is dedicated to current questions regarding knowledge production and art histories, preservation and care, and education and learning in contemporary art museums.
Within this framework, Lights On! Sustaining Light-Based Art focuses on the preservation of light-based artworks and their future in museum collections. Held on 13 November 2026, it addresses challenges including technological obsolescence, material availability, and sustainability. Taking Dan Flavin’s site-specific installation untitled (1996) at Hamburger Bahnhof as a point of departure, the symposium considers how these conditions affect the authenticity, material integrity, and long-term stewardship of light-based art.
Bringing together international experts from conservation, curatorial practice, collection management, and research, Lights On! explores current approaches to documentation and preservation while fostering dialogue between institutions, artists, manufacturers, and estates on the future care of light-based artworks.
Participation is free of charge.
Please note: Registration and waiting list have been closed.
Programme
Registration / Conference Desk Open8:30–9 am
Welcome9 am
Till Fellrath, Co-Director Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart
Symposium’s Planning Committee Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart Berlin / Akademie der Bildenden Künste Wien
KeynoteMehr Licht!9:15 am
Reinhard Bek Bek & Frohnert LLC, New York
Case StudiesBrief Case InsightsChair: Andrea Sartorius9:55
Too Hot to Handle? Exploring Alternative Light Sources for the Integral Hologram Angel (1975–76) by Simone Forti and Lloyd CrossMarkéta Krausováa and Evelyne Snijders University of Amsterdam
Keeping Offspring Switched On: Conserving a Living Light InstallationTeddy Woods and Jihyun Choi University College London & Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul
Illuminated from All SidesUte Kannengießer and Hannah Backes Albertina Museum, Vienna
Coffee Break10:15
Session 1Collection Care – Protocols and Practices for Light-Based ArtChair: Carolin Bohlmann10:45
From Neon Systems to Incandescent Bulbs and LED: Institutional Approaches to the Preservation and Perpetuation of Dynamic Works of ArtAlessandra Guarascio, Yeung Shin Li and Dieke Ribbers M+ Museum, Hong Kong
Illuminating Preservation: Developing Conservation Frameworks for Light-Based Artworks at The Museum of Modern ArtCaitlin Gozo Richeson and Caroline Longo The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Illuminating the Gaps: Building Protocols for Light-Based Objects in the Modern & Contemporary Collection at the MetMelissa David, Kendra Roth and Miriam-Helene Rudd Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Session 2Documenting Light-Based ArtChair: Josephine Bobeck12 noon
Looking on the Bright Side: Spectrometric Insights into the History of Robert Rauschenberg’s Green ShirtBogna Skwara, Ellen Moody, Maggie Bell, John Griswold and Olivia Kuzio Getty Conservation Institute, Norton Simon Museum, USA
How to Capture Light? Documentation Strategies on Light-Based Artworks at Hamburger BahnhofEva Rieß, Pauline Reschke, Andreas Barthelmes and Florian Holzherr Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, Berlin
Lunch Break1 pm
Session 3Light as Medium – Different Light Sources used as Artistic MediaChair: Taylor Hinojosa-Hayes2:15 pm
Truth in Light: Addressing Myths and Misunderstandings in Neon ArtTaylor Healy Art Institute of Chicago
What to Do about Dimming: Treatment of a Software-Based Light Sculpture by Mona HatoumLou Ashon, Alexandra Nichols and Willa Ratz Tate, London
Tunnel Vision: Three Light-Based Art Installations at the MFAH Nick Pendemonti and Caroline Gil Rodríguez Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Coffee Break3:30 pm
Session 4Transitioning Into the Future – Approaches to PreservationChair: Elisa Carl4 pm
Neon in New LightZoelle Nagib and Jacob Fishman Lightwriters Neon Chicago
Afterlife of Illumination: Maintenance and Obsolescence of Three Light Technologies at MFA BostonChristine Haynes Mitchell and Patrícia Navedo García Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Stockpiles, Collaborative Stewardship, and Supply-Chain Response: Three Decades Sustaining Flavin’s Permanent Installation at the Menil CollectionJoy Bloser, Steve Morse, James Craven and Corina E. Rogge The Menil Collection, Houston & Estate of Dan Flavin
Panel DiscussionWhere Do We Go From Here?Moderation: Pia Gottschaller5:15 pm
Reinhard Bek Bek & Frohnert LLC, New York
Joy Bloser Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Ellen Moody Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles
Francesca Esmay Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Willa Ratz Tate, London
John Jaspers Zentrum für Internationale Lichtkunst, Unna
Carolin Bohlmann Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Wien
Closing Remarks6:15 pm