GRADUATION RITUALS

Press Text

GRADUTAION RITUALS
24 Novembre 2021 to 15 May 2022

Draiflessen Collection
Georgstraße 18 | 49497 Mettingen
info@draiflessen.com | www.draiflessen.com

The Abitur marks not only the end of a high school career, but also the entry into adult life. Although the graduation rituals of graduating classes have changed over the course of the last century, the need to stage and celebrate oneself as a community at the end of school has remained: What used to be a band and cap are now T-shirts and baseball caps with the Abi logo. But how is the respective zeitgeist reflected in the customs and rituals of graduating classes, how have these forms of expression of graduating classes changed? The presentation in DAS Forum traces the changes in celebrations and rituals surrounding the Abitur over the past 100 years.

From the sash to the hoodie
The starting point of the GRADUATION RITUALS is a cap and a sash by Arnold Ludger Brenninkmeijer (1894 - 1951), who took his Abitur at the Oberrealschule in Münster in 1914. The sash, ribbon and cap have long since ceased to be part of the school-leavers' equipment. But even in the present day, Abitur classes cannot do without community symbols, which are also expressed through clothing. Thus, the presentation also includes a hoodie of the Mettingen graduating class of the Kardinal-von-Galen-Gymnasium of 2021.

Graduation rituals in flux
Not only the outward appearance of Abitur accessories has changed over the last ten decades, the motifs of graduating classes have also undergone a transformation: often politically influenced in the 1960s, later generations tended to use pop-cultural influences when choosing their Abitur motto.
Influenced by the left-wing, socially critical student movement, Abitur symbols such as those of Arnold Ludger Brenninkmeijer were increasingly rejected by Abitur students. The uniform dress of a dark suit or costume, ribbon and cap had become obsolete in favour of jeans, miniskirts and T-shirts. In the meantime, the Abiball and festive attire are once again part of a successful Abitur celebration.