Museum für Kommunikation Berlin opens language exhibition Real Talk! on 6 November 2026
The exhibition runs from 6 November 2026 to 27 February 2028 and covers six themed rooms, from the origins of language to its future.
Museum für Kommunikation Berlin opens the exhibition "Real Talk! Sprache. Macht. Welt." on 6 November 2026. It will run until 27 February 2028, according to presseportal.de presseportal.de
presseportal.depresseportal.deOpen source ↗. The show treats language, whether spoken, signed, written or felt, as the core of communication, which keeps changing under the influence of new media, mobility and migration
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presseportal.depresseportal.deOpen source ↗. The exhibition was curated by Anne Stabler and Lianne Oonwalla
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presseportal.depresseportal.deOpen source ↗.
The organisers point to growing multilingualism in cities such as Berlin. Globally, linguistic diversity is shrinking: thousands of languages are endangered and many have already disappeared presseportal.de
presseportal.depresseportal.deOpen source ↗. The exhibition aims to raise awareness of this diversity and also asks how language works as an instrument of power
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Six themed rooms
The exhibition is organised in six rooms, each built around a guiding question presseportal.de
presseportal.depresseportal.deOpen source ↗. "Sprachwelten" asks what language is and traces its origins, including how the brain processes a word. "Vielfalt" looks at how the world speaks: people were already multilingual more than 4,000 years ago, and the audio station "Berlin schläft ein" plays lullabies from present-day Berlin. Invented languages such as Klingon and Elvish are also covered
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"Identität" follows the youth language of the last 100 years, code-switching, secret languages and personal language biographies. "Kontakt" shows how people have crossed language barriers, from learning materials of different generations to the history of translation and interpreting. "Macht" deals with protest, solidarity, Plain Language, supported communication and the force of rituals such as mantras and prayers. "Zukunft" presents four outlooks, including technology that removes language barriers and efforts to preserve endangered languages presseportal.de
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Interactive format and access
Visitors can create a personal language portrait, write a haiku and share their visions of the future. The character Lexi accompanies children and adults through the exhibition presseportal.de
presseportal.depresseportal.deOpen source ↗.
All content is available in German and English. Section texts are also accessible via QR code in Plain Language, German Sign Language and ten further languages, including Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Turkish and Arabic presseportal.de
presseportal.depresseportal.deOpen source ↗. A public tour takes place every Sunday at 13:30. School classes and groups can book tours and 90-minute workshops matched to grade level
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presseportal.depresseportal.deOpen source ↗. Further events are listed at mfk-berlin.de/ausstellung-real-talk.
