Franz Graf von Pocci (1807-1876) was not just a master of ceremonies, Hofmusikintendant and the inventor of the puppet character Kasperl Larifari, but also an almost obsessive illustrator. ‘And if I had a hundred hands / with castles I’d never find an end!’ reads one of his verses about his passion of always allowing his visual imagination to roam free. He typically drew imaginary landscapes or created illustrations for his texts, but was just as happy lampooning his bureaucratic or artistic colleagues with unerring mischievousness through caricature. The historical collections of the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München were recently enriched by a significant donation of 82 of Pocci’s drawings. This donation serves as the impetus for a small exhibition documenting how important this kind of private engagement is for the continued evolution of our collections.
“Friedrich von Borries. Politics of Design, Design of Politics” is the programmatic title of the exhibition by Friedrich von Borries. In a series of interactions with and interventions in the Collection, architect and design theorist von Borries sets out to demonstrate the extent to which there is an intrinsically political side to design and how design can shape and change politics. How can design contribute to society’s social and cultural development? The presentation will be complemented by a subjective reflection on Friedrich von Borries’ own output to date and interactive platforms for the museum visitors.