On November 12, 2025, 16 participants in the secondary school graduation course for adult learners at the VHS Göttingen Osterode took part in a varied visit to Marjolijn Dijkman’s exhibition “Between The Lines” at the Old Town Hall.

After an initial, independent exploration of the exhibition spaces, the participants each selected a work that particularly fascinated them. In small groups, lively discussions about technique, form, and content began to emerge, which were then expanded upon during a group session through an introduction to the exhibition concept and the artist’s three central lines of research. A questionnaire on active art appreciation subsequently served as a guide for the group work.

Four teams each examined a selected artwork. The first group was particularly impressed by “Against the Grain,” a delicate ear of grain coated in copper, made from scrap metal salvaged from old ammunition. The discussion was shaped by memories of rural origins as well as references to current food crises. The second group focused on the microscopic C-print “Aberrations III” and engaged in an in-depth discussion about the relationship between technical image-making and art, which opened the door to an exploration of conceptual art. The video installation “Charging Tesla Crash” also generated enthusiasm; its life-size Tesla sculpture, crafted from recycled copper wires, provided an opportunity to discuss resource conservation, environmental issues, and supposedly “green” technologies.

The fourth group examined the floor installation “Cloud to Ground,” discovered glass shards and animal-like shapes in the clumps of material, and discussed how they formed from sand as well as their connection to rare earth elements, which are indispensable for modern technologies.

During the hands-on portion of the workshop, the exhibition’s microphotography served as inspiration for the participants’ own experiments using their smartphones. After a brief overview of the exhibition, examples of abstract macro photography were presented and key camera and image-editing functions were explained. The group then dispersed into the area surrounding the VHS to capture fascinating details of nature and their surroundings through photography. With great interest, the participants developed a microscopic eye for structures and forms that are often overlooked in everyday life.

Back in the classroom, they continued to edit their photos, adjusting the framing, contrast, color, and sharpness.

The result was a series of impressive, abstract-looking photographs, which will then be printed on A3 paper and presented, discussed, and refined as needed during a subsequent session.