MS Dauerwelle

An unusual – indeed moveable – site of the University of the Arts Bremen is floating on the river Weser: The “Dauerwelle”, a ship dedicated to exhibitions and events. Formerly used as a passenger vessel, the ship is 53 meters long and makes for a buoyant extension of the HfK, facilitating encounters with the arts in the middle of the waters. The “Dauerwelle” has been launched in a ceremony at the central anchorage on the Bürgermeister-Smidt-Brücke across from the Schlachte in May 2022. By being adjacent to the Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst and the Gesellschaft für Aktuelle Kunst (GAK), the mooring facilitates a direct interaction with key actors in the cultural scene of the city. Since the opening exhibitions, workshops, presentations, concerts and performances have been conducted on the three open decks and in the interior space of the ship on a regular basis.

The MS Dauerwelle was built in 1962 at the boatyard Edgar André in Magdeburg. The “Dauerwelle” went through many transformations ever since her launch as a passenger ship in the GDR (German Democratic Republic), on to the setting for techno parties in Gelsenkirchen and then to serving as a moveable exhibition space. The University had bought the ship at auction on eBay and then had it transferred successfully to the boatyard Kötter Werft in Haren for restoration and rebuilding. Final touches were put on at the Lankenauer Höft in Bremen. By removing the steerage and 60 tons of steel overall, a large space flooded with light coming through two rows of windows spaced on top of each other has been created in the process. The bottom of the ship has been filled with 14 tons of gravel as ballast to maintain the balance. 

The project has been initiated by Asli Serbest, HfK Professor for Temporary Spaces, and Mona Mahall, formerly Professor for Architecture and the Arts at the HafenCity University Hamburg. The two academics spend three years working on the concept and design to transform the former passenger ship. The idea of a moveable space for exhibitions and events represents their artistic practice with temporary and processual spaces. The “Dauerwelle” can be seen as a late answer to the utopian projects of radical architecture in 1960s and 1970s: Back then, designers conceived spaces and even whole cities that were not tied to fixed sites but were meant to be set into perpetual motion. As a moveable space, the “Dauerwelle” also symbolises activity and agility, thereby creating a new site for encounters in Bremen that sets the stage for a special dialogue between the sciences, the arts, culture and the urban community. 

As a floating, nomadic space, the “Dauerwelle” turns the HfK into a dynamic institution and contributes to building active relationships between the University and the society around her. 

University of the Arts Bremen
MS Dauerwelle
Bürgermeister-Smidt-Brücke
28195 Bremen

Google Maps

Please note that the MS Dauerwelle is not barrier-free.

Christina Scheib will answer enquiries; since 2023 she has been the curator responsible for the MS Dauerwelle and the event hall (Hall 1) of Speicher XI A.

Peter Lilienthal, head of facility administration, facility and event technology at the HfK, is also available as a contact person.