MusicWorlds in Mannheim: A Sensory Journey Through Global Music History

Event: MusicWorlds in Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen, rem-Stiftungsmuseen C4,12, 68159 Mannheim on 10. November 2026

Date and Time

10. November 2026 10:00

Location

Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen
Museum Weltkulturen, D5 1, 68159 Mannheim-Quadrate, Deutschland

Price

9,00 €
Book Tickets

About this Event

Exhibitions & MuseumsOther Events

Mood

Relaxed

Venue Type

Inside

MusicWorlds: A Sonic Journey Through World Cultures

The exhibition MusicWorlds at the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums provides a sensory access to the phenomenon of music in humanity. Between ancient American whistling vessels, fire dance masks from Papua New Guinea, and a fully analog recording studio from the 1980s, a cultural-historical panorama unfolds that makes sound an expression of identity, community, and transformation perceivable.

Instruments as Testimonies of Human History

The presentation is based on the significant collection of the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums with more than 1,600 European and non-European musical instruments. Among the special collections is the largest collection of ancient American musical instruments outside the American continent. The objects tell of craft precision, religious ideas, and the various forms of musical communication.

Communication, Community, Movement, and Transformation

The curation divides the exhibition into the thematic areas of communication, community, movement, and transformation. Music appears as a language towards spirits, deities, and nature, as a connecting element in temple chants, monastic communities, and court ceremonies, as well as a companion to dance, ritual, and movement.

An Aesthetic Experience with Surprising Sounds

The exhibition atmosphere connects historical instruments with extraordinary staging and an audio guide. Sounds from Africa, India, the Far East, and ancient America relate to familiar sound worlds from rock, pop, and classical music. This creates an artwork consideration that affects not only through forms and materials but directly through listening.

Cultural Education for School Classes and Groups

The Reiss-Engelhorn Museums offer museum educational tours and workshops related to the exhibition. Topics include music and religious ideas, music as a means of communication, and the comparison of various music cultures. Interactive offerings with whistling vessels and the Indonesian Angklung expand cultural education with a practical dimension.

Conclusion: Experience Music as a Global Language

MusicWorlds welcomes visitors with an atmospheric connection of ethnology, music history, and aesthetic experience. The exhibition makes visible and audible how people create community through instruments, rhythms, and rituals across times and continents. A visit to Mannheim enriches the perspective on music as a cultural force and opens new perspectives on the world of listening.

Official Channels of Reiss-Engelhorn Museums:

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  • Website: https://www.rem-mannheim.de/

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