Reconfiguring Wunderkammer as a Pedagogical Model and a Design-Oriented Course Project

Abstract

This research aims to examine the applicability of the Wunderkammer approach as a pedagogical model within the framework of design-oriented learning. Historically emerging in Europe from the sixteenth century onward, the Wunderkammer is known as a heterogeneous collection and display environment in which objects related to fields such as nature, art, science, geography, and technology are brought together and exhibited. Originating in the early modern period, the Wunderkammer approach has been reinterpreted in contemporary artistic and design practices from the twentieth century to the present. Within this context, the present study reconsiders this historical model as an experimental and experiential learning method in design education through contemporary references.
The study is based on the implementation process conducted within the scope of the Theatre and Stage Techniques course offered in the Department of Recreation, Faculty of Sports Sciences at Kutahya Dumlupınar University during the 2025-2026 academic year. Within the framework of the course, students developed individual design projects in accordance with the fundamental principles of Wunderkammer design and the dynamics of a contemporary creative learning process. As a result of the implementation, a total of eighty original Wunderkammer designs were produced with the participation of both daytime and evening program students. The resulting works demonstrated a remarkable degree of individuality and originality in terms of creativity, design project development skills, thematic diversity, spatial composition, and object-based narrative construction within the context of design pedagogy.
In this context, the findings indicate that the Wunderkammer application provides an effective learning model within a design-oriented learning framework at an interdisciplinary scale, fostering students’ abilities in creative thinking, conceptual association, the construction of individual microcosms, and spatial design. Furthermore, the study reveals that the Wunderkammer can function as a viable alternative pedagogical method in art and design education.