»The World of Music Video« - Panorama of an Underestimated Art Genre

From 21 January 2022, an unprecedented panorama of the genre music videos will take place in Völklingen near Saarbrücken. The World of Music Video aims to provide insights into the workings of the »fusion of the audiovisual« medium of music video by completely transforming the blower hall and compressor hall of the former Völklinger Hütte ironworks: The carpeted floors and all fixtures will be removed, and instead huge screens and small, secluded monitors will be integrated into the space. This is intended to create space for dancing as well as for reflection. The exhibition, organised by KulturGut e. V. Völklingen, provides a panoramic view not only in terms of space but also in terms of time: from Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody in 1975 to the »empowerment scenes« of the 2000s to the 2020s by Lady Gaga, Beyoncé or The Carters, the hall becomes the setting for videos from all over the world. A conscious move away from the artistic, European-centred view is made here and pieces from Asia and Africa are juxtaposed with those from North America and Europe.

Viewers experience how the protagonists take power over prisons, fast-food restaurants or highly cultural institutions such as the Louvre, making dreams or childlike imaginings real for a brief moment. In addition, The World of Music Video presents topics that could not be more topical: artificial intelligence, climate change, political, psychological and physical violence and gender issues are at the centre of the exhibition. The KulturGut e. V. Völklingen also reminds us of how closely music is linked to the visual arts, since interdisciplinarily oriented people such as Spike Jonze, Chris Cunningham, John Landis, Anton Corbijn or Michel Gondry have directed time and again, and their eye is sharpened for the cross-sensory effect of the genre. The audiovisual exhibition can be visited until 16 October 2022.