Making Women Visible in History
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| Admission: free admission |
| Which languages: Spanish |
| Venue: Mechanical Arena in the Foyer |
| Part of: SPÄTI |
Contrary to the male-dominated narratives of history, women in the past were able to exert significant political influence. At princely courts during the Middle Ages and the early modern period, women played a central role, yet their contributions remain underrepresented in museums today.
The project WIRKSAM brings together ten museums and institutions in 2025/2026 with a shared goal: to change that.
Through their networks of mothers, aunts, sisters, and nieces, princesses connected courts across Europe over vast distances. By arranging strategic marriages for their children, they forged alliances and secured claims to inheritance. Often working behind the scenes, women created options for men to act. Despite patriarchal constraints, they emerge as independent, intelligent, and tactically skilled individuals.
Dr Simona Schellenberger from the State Palaces, Castles and Gardens of Saxony and Dr Alfred Hagemann from the Stiftung Humboldt Forum’s “History of the Site” department will share insights into WIRKSAM’s mission and their projects in Meissen and Berlin.
Programme
4:30 PM
Short guided tour of the installation “Relevant to the System – Women in Ruling Families” on the 3rd floor
Meeting point: Mechanical Arena
From 5:00 PM
Discussion in the Mechanical Arena
Participants
Dr Simona Schellenberger is an art historian and has been a research associate at the State Palaces, Castles and Gardens of Saxony since 2003. She has curated numerous exhibitions and has also served as the director of Burg Gnandstein in Saxony since 1996. Previously, she worked at the Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Bautzen, among other institutions. As part of the “WIRKSAM” project, she curated an exhibition at Albrechtsburg Meißen dedicated to the theme of high-ranking noblewomen in the Middle Ages.
Dr Alfred Hagemann is head of the History of the Site Department at the Stiftung Humboldt Forum. His research focuses on the architectural and cultural history of the Berlin court in the 18th century, historical women’s studies and the state self-representation of the GDR. Over the past fifteen years, the art historian has curated a series of cultural-historical exhibitions on the history of Prussia and the GDR in Berlin and Potsdam.
Sabine Hoffmann was born and raised in Berlin. She grew up listening to a wide range of hip-hop, soul, funk and crossover beats. Sabine discovered her passion for DJing vinyl in the early 2000s when she first got into electronic music. She plays a mix of techno, electro, Chicago and Detroit house with a dash of acid, funk and breakbeats, but regardless of the style, Sabine will only ever be seen playing vinyl as she prefers the warmth of analog sounds and the classic feel of turntables. She has played at almost all the leading clubs in Berlin such as About Blank, Salon zur wilden Renate, Berghain Kantine, Griessmühle, IPSE, Farbfernseher, Golden Gate, Arena Club and the list goes on.
Her international profile is steadily increasing, she has played in Tbilisi, Paris, Baku, Yerevan, Krakow and Thessaloniki to name a few. Sabine is the founder of “Frauengedeck”. This is a series of events that focuses on an all-female line-up. She wants to support and present female DJs. She has hosted many events in various clubs in Berlin such as Wilde Renate, Griessmühle, Farbfernseher and Beate Uwe. The first international events outside Germany took place in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, more countries will follow soon.
Since 2016 Sabine has been working at the famous OYE record store in Berlin. She also hosts a monthly Frauengedeck livestream, which is streamed from the OYE record store. She graduated from SAE with a degree in sound engineering. Inspired by her acquired knowledge, she began to focus on music production. The first result, a collaboration with No Mad Ronin, is available on the label Zaijenroots.