City in Panels: An exploration of Urban comics with spatial practice - Einzelansicht

As an emergent field of practice, urban comics can be understood as a research method that interpret interviews, field research, and lived urban experiences into sequential graphic narratives (Tomiuc, 2022). The intersection of Comics Studies and Urban Studies, two fields that are already interdisciplinary themselves. Drawing parallels between the visual language of comics (Panels, rhythm and compositions) and that of the Infrastructure of cities, this interdisciplinary approach aims to explore forms of storytelling, deepen the understanding of urban landscapes and debate the urban issues. This subject will also be embedded in a socially conscious understanding of the factors that shape media and the cities that we live in.

Interdisciplinarity | The course will take reference from theories and methods pertaining to the visual arts, narrative disciplines and urban studies. In addition to maps, diagrams, and floor plans, the course employs sequential visualization as a means to understand urban ecology. Problem orientation: Urban comics use visual storytelling to articulate and explore issues and challenges faced within urban environments. The participation of students from different faculties will be encouraged, so that they can contribute to the class with their diverse academical and personal perspectives.

Learning Objectives | We aim to encourage cross-contextual thinking among the participants. Retrospective: As an outcome, they'll have the ability to observe their surrounding urban environments through a social and creative lens. Present moment: Beyond that, they'll learn practical skills of comic making such as how to write a script, layout a page and illustrate by integrating historical architectural symbols and urban memories into their visual narratives. Vision: Through the creation of urban comics, participants will critically reflect on both the successes and failures of urban development and apply these insights to contemporary urban challenges (e.g. how to improve the management of campus gardens, understanding ecological preservation, and developing empathy for urban trauma). In addition, the course encourages students to collectively build a meaningful archive of local urban narratives and spatial experiences.

Didactic Concept | The course adopts a hybrid approach that integrates theoretical frameworks with practical skills. Outdoor Practice: Participants will be guided to observe everyday urban landscapes that are often passed by but rarely noticed, such as carriage entrances. A range of urban themes will be addressed, including historical trauma and urban decision-making (e.g. the Fire of the Anna Amalia Library, Frauenplan), as well as ecological preservation (e.g. the Bee Museum). Drawing on historical context and urban planning perspectives, participants will use imagination to create comics on site, communicate with past residents in order to reflect on historical decisions and future urban development. Hand-on: Observations and field research that previously escaped their attention. Theoretical part: Theory topics such as an introduction to concepts of Urban Studies, case studies (e.g. Davies, 2019) and visual storytelling. Academic texts to read and to recapitulate what has been learned.

Barcelona Urban Comic project: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mark-nieuwenhuijsen-a07239354_redrawing-barcelona-activity-7327727547738193920-6SfL?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAERPWL4B9mCOhBH1MI7OOPoRouPicZbeFNQ

Hehua Zhu: A Science Comic of Urban Metro Structure Performance Evolution and Sensing Control

Jorn Ahrens Arno Meteling: Comics and the city urban space in print, picture, and sequence

Dominic Davies: Urban Comics, Infrastructure and the Global City in Contemporary Graphic Narratives

Benjamin Fraser: Visible Cities, Gobal Comics Urban Images and Spatial Form

Die Lehrveranstaltung wird als »Studentisches Bauhaus.Modul« durchgeführt von David Munoz Hasselbrink (stud. Ma AU), Hüseyn Hüseynbayli (stud. Ma AU) und Yuen Yi Wong (stud. Ma M). Das Mentoring übernimmt Dr. Jan Ehlers (M).

This course is not about technical perfection, but about awareness of cities, process, and presence. It is open to students of all drawing levels. Therefore, applicants are required to submit a motivation letter of 200 words until April 12th, 2026, explaining how they aim to enhance their observation of own surroundings through this course. Participants must maintain an attendance rate of at least 60% to ensure interdisciplinary exchange within the group and to gain sufficient practice.

• Weekly hands-on sessions.
• Present works in an exhibition format.
• Evaluation Criteria: Participants will be assessed based on their engagement, including active participation in group exercises and progress demonstrated throughout the iterative phases of the project.
• Final submission: As a way to demonstrate the acquired knowledge and skills, the participants will be required to write and illustrate a comic spanning a few pages, informed by the insights that were gathered throughout the course. The subject matter is of free choice, but it would ideally have a connection to the city of Weimar. This should highlight how the city is interpreted in the comic medium through the subjectivities of the participants. The collection of works can be presented in the Summaery exhibition.

*For master student: Paricipants need to write a page to explain how this urban comic can relate to their own study.

Die Veranstaltung wird als »Studentisches Bauhaus.Modul« durchgeführt und steht allen Bachelor- und Masterstudierenden der Fakultäten Architektur und Urbanistik, Kunst und Gestaltung sowie Medien offen. Bitte halten Sie vor der Anmeldung Rücksprache mit Ihrer Fachstudienberatung und klären Sie, ob diese Veranstaltung in ihrem Curriculum anerkannt werden kann. Bei Bedarf schließen Sie vor Veranstaltungsbeginn ein Learning Agreement (DE/EN) ab.