Echoes of days gone by: New photo exhibition at the Dental Clinic of Witten/Herdecke University

The Dental Clinic at Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) is once again becoming a photo gallery: students are now presenting their work from the "Photographic Ethnography" course in the building at Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 45. The exhibition "Echo of bygone days" focuses on photographs that visually showcase the industrial history of Witten and its surroundings and invites visitors to the dental clinic to view well-known landmarks and industrial monuments from new perspectives.

The photography course as part of the UW/H's Studium fundamentale programme is aimed at students from all disciplines. "The aim is to sharpen the eye and approach one's own surroundings with curiosity and openness," explains photo artist and lecturer Philip Pearce. The seminar combines theoretical principles of photography with practical work on location. On excursions around the city - including to historical sites such as the Nachtigall colliery - the students develop their own photographic approaches to the topic. For the exhibition, the participants curated their works themselves and jointly developed a working title.

For Prof Dr Stefan Zimmer, Dental Director of the Dental Clinic at the UW/H, the exhibition exemplifies the aspirations of Studium fundamentale: "The works make it clear that students also acquire valuable skills that shape their personality beyond their specialist studies. This includes, among other things, training their own perceptive faculties and adopting different perspectives."

The exhibition will be on display at the Dental Clinic of Witten/Herdecke University (ZBZ) until the end of the 2026 summer semester. In addition to around 25,000 patients with around 80,000 visits every year, a good 150 employees and 250 dental students also enjoy the regularly changing art and photo exhibitions on three floors.