IN CONTEXT:

With this presentation, the German Leather Museum tried out a new educational and display format in its permanent ethnological exhibition, which had remained essentially unchanged since it was first set up in the 1980s in the form of country-oriented display cases. Neither the educational thrust nor the presentation corresponded to current academic and creative museum standards.

An empty exhibition unit within the Africa section was therefore transformed into a space for experimentation, whereby the change process remained visible. Safe and sound! shifted the focus towards exhibits that serve for keeping utensils used in day-to-day life. The diversity of the materials used – alongside leather, objects such as rawhide and tortoiseshell are also included – and the forms of workmanship and various functions of the exhibits reflected regional conditions and the specific traditions of various ethnic groups.