The eternal student: exhibition travels through 450 years of studying
Be it with a paintbrush or camera, over the centuries painters and photographers have depicted students at study in Leiden. An exhibition at the Hortus botanicus reveals the similarities and differences in 450 years of student life. The opening was also a chance to look ahead: what will studying be like in the future?
Five students threw graduation caps into the air together with Rector Hester Bijl and the exhibition was officially open. This outdoor exhibition in the lush green of the Hortus takes visitors on a 450-year journey through studying at Leiden University. The displays in the shape of giant books have visitors leafing through that long history: from lessons in the anatomical theatre to classes with VR headsets. The exhibition shows how students learn in lectures, study in libraries or observe in the field and the lab. And also how students over the centuries have suffered from pre-exam jitters and have finished their studies with much-loved rituals.
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The opening ceremony with Rector Hester Bijl and assessors – student reps at the faculties. -
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Hester Bijl launches Uni-visions, a call to imagine the university of the future -
Observatory on Academy Building roof
A noteworthy example is the observatory on the roof of the Academy Building. Students could observer stars and planets there from 1633 to 1864. The exhibition features a photo of this observatory, one of the oldest photos of Leiden. This dome was demolished in the 1860s, and a new observatory – now known as the Old Observatory – emerged in the Hortus botanicus. Nowadays, students and academics use data from the world’s most powerful telescopes in Chile and La Palma.
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Ca.1860: An observatory on the Academy Building roof. Adolphe Braun/ELO -
The Observatory in 1948. Photo: A. van Vliet/ELO -
La Silla Observatory in Chile. Foto B. Tafreshi/ESO -
1844: Revising for an exam. Illustration: O. Veralby in the book Studentenschetsen by Klikspaan -
1990: Mass exams in Groenoordhallen. Marc de Haan -
2015: Mass exams in Pieterskerk. Monique Shaw
Student life
Students obviously don’t spend all their time studying. The exhibition also features images of 450 years of student life, student housing, wartime and protests. The exhibition does not pretend to be complete, say its curators Linda van Putten, Pieter Slaman and Corrie van Maris. They relied on their knowledge of collections and a touch of humour to create a cohesive narrative. Large-format photos of studying and student life in the mid-20th century and earlier can also be seen at various university buildings outside the Hortus.
Importance of education
The outdoor exhibition is an ode to everyone who makes education possible: students, teachers and supporting staff. In these times of painful cuts, the curators want to show that the university has been educating students for 450 years and that this education must be preserved for future generations.
Competition: What will education be like in 2075?
This was one of the reasons why Rector Hester Bijl also called for Uni-visionaries who can describe what studying will be like in 2075, ‘when we’ll be celebrating our 500th anniversary’. Anyone (16+) can enter and in a genre of their choice: a drawing, piece of writing, film, mural, poem, photo or AI artwork... Anything goes, as long as it shows your vision of the future. Three winners will have the chance to create their work and exhibit it in Leiden and The Hague.