COSTUME WORKSHOP
16 January—7 February 2026
Fridays 3:30—7:30 p.m.
We invite you once again to the open costume workshop at Temporary Gallery. Here, costumes are artistically developed and discussed. Cologne Carnival can be explored and prepared for in a safe environment.
In cooperation with M*Treff Alte Feuerwache, Rutfront Fastelovendsbund e.V., Textile Artists' Meeting Cologne, and artists, scientists, fashion designers, costume and mask designers Citra Amongsari, Hanna Bächer, Dr. Anja Dreschke, Sarah Ferreira dos Santos, Liane Gramsch-Rudolph, Paula Noller, Camilo Pachón, Johanna Reinders, Corinne Riepert, Faun Vium, and others. Organized by Lisa Klosterkötter.
In simple language:
The open costume workshop runs from January 16 to February 7, 2026.
It is open every Friday from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Artists lead the workshop.
They help with sewing and designing.
Everyone can participate.
Everyone can sew and build costumes and try out new ideas.
There is also a children's program for children of various ages.
We want to make new costumes for Carnival.
The costumes should not be typical.
They should be personal and creative.
Used materials are used for the costumes.
In the costume workshop, it is important to us that everyone gets along well.
Everyone should feel comfortable.
No one should be hurt or excluded.
Everyone is welcome! The event is free of charge and open to all without registration.
The open costume workshop will take place every Friday between January 16 and February 7 from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The workshop is a temporary space led by local artists where costumes can be developed artistically. Everyone is welcome to design, sew, build, learn, and exchange ideas. The costume workshop is an open format that anyone can join at any time. Some workshops and lectures deal with specific topics, and registration is required for some of them as participant numbers are limited. Every Friday, there is also an activity for children. More information about the program can be found below.
The costume workshop aims to encourage people to think beyond the practice of dressing up and the transformative potential of costumes beyond the boundaries of stereotypical carnival costumes. Today, these are part of the fast fashion movement—the cheapest materials are poorly processed, so that they can hardly be worn for more than a season. Furthermore, the selection of affordable costumes is very limited and shaped by a normative, binary, and sometimes sexist and racist worldview. The possibilities and spectrum of imagination—i.e., who or what one would like to dress up as—often seem limited, influenced by the omnipresent consumer society and dependent on one's social environment. In terms of content, the format deals with the practices of dressing up in the context of customs and traditions, but also seeks to detach itself from many conventions and gain its own perspectives. This allows Carnival to be viewed in a new light and artistically reshaped.
The Cologne art scene and Cologne Carnival, as a venue for political debate and satire based on the democratic right to freedom of expression, have always been closely intertwined in the past—artists designed carnival floats, backdrops for Stunksitzungen (satirical carnival sessions), and organized costume parties. The artists' festival Laange Ent (1920s), the activities of Ahl Säu (founded in 1946), the Lumpenball at the Kölnischer Kunstverein, and the carnival party DA BA DEE? at the Temporary Gallery (2020) are just a few examples of the avant-garde impulses that used artistic means and strategies to help shape the Cologne folk festival and, not infrequently and not often enough, to question and thwart militaristic, patriarchal structures.
Programme:
Open costume workshop
16 January until 7 February 2026
Fridays 3:30—7:30 p.m.
(No registration required)
The costume workshop offers special formats for children and adults, some of which require registration.
16 January
3:30—7:30 p.m.
Krätzchen workshop and discussion with Cologne costume designer Liane Gramsch-Rudolph, organized by the Rutfront carnival association
(No registration required)
3:30—6:00 p.m.
For children ages 4 and up: Open children's costume workshop with Citra Amongsari
(No registration required)
23 January
3:30—6:00 p.m.
Workshop Carnival as a social fabric, and mask as a weaving material with Camilo Pachón
(Please register at info@temporarygallery.org)
3:30—6:00 p.m.
For children aged 6 and up: Casting carnival medals from wax with Citra Amongsari
(Registration required at info@temporarygallery.org)
30 January
6 p.m.
Lecture by Dr. Anja Dreschke
((No registration required)
3:30—5:00 p.m.
For children aged 4 to 7: Fabric hats and crowns
(Please register at info@temporarygallery.org)
6 February
4—7 p.m.
Wing-making workshop with Faun Vium
(Please register at info@temporarygallery.org)
3:30—6:00 p.m.
For children ages 4 and up: Open children's costume workshop with Citra Amongsari
(No registration required)
7 February
Starting at 12:00 p.m.
Open work session for an intervention on the Ghost Train organized by the Cologne Textile Artists' Association, followed by joint participation in the Ghost Train, which in 2026 will carry the title Mir könne nit all em Dom schlofe (We can't all sleep in the cathedral). Appeal for a change in housing policy (https://www.geisterzug.de/)
(No registration required)
14 February
Save the Date! Carnival dinner!
(More information to follow shortly)
We are still happy to receive donations of materials! These can be brought to the Temporary Gallery on Mondays (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), Thursdays and Fridays (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) or picked up within Cologne by arrangement.
Everyone is welcome! The costume workshop is free of charge and accessible without registration (see details). You can bring your own materials or use and be inspired by our collection of materials.
Code of Conduct at the Temporary Gallery:
The costume workshop at the Temporary Gallery aims to create an accessible, low-risk, and barrier-sensitive space as the basis for our interactions. We do not tolerate any form of racism, sexism, ableism, anti-Semitism, queerphobia, transphobia, or other discriminatory or violent behavior.
All event participants agree to abide by our code of conduct. All participants in our program want to feel comfortable and safe in this space. Therefore, we do not tolerate any form of abusive, transgressive, and/or discriminatory behavior and reserve the right to exclude individuals from the event in the event of violations of our code of conduct (which will also be visible in the room). If you feel uncomfortable or witness offensive behavior, please contact Lisa Klosterkötter.
Information on the accessibility of the events:
Relaxed atmosphere: The event is designed to be relaxed. This means that everyone is welcome in the room and can stay there even if they are not actively working on something. You can leave and re-enter the rooms at any time. Hot drinks and water will be provided. A variety of seating options (chairs, beanbags, stools) will be available.
Physical access: The exhibition rooms are accessible without steps, but unfortunately there are no accessible toilets. The a&o Hostel, about 200 meters from the Temporary Gallery, offers accessible toilets.
Language access: The workshop leaders speak German and English. The team is open to giving practical instructions in various other languages via translation programs. We also try to use simple language as much as possible. Questions for clarification are welcome at any time. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer sign language interpretation.
Contact: If you have any further questions, needs, or access requirements, e.g., pick-up service from a nearby stop, please contact us by email at info@temporarygallery.org
Temporary Gallery, Mauritiuswall 35, 50676 Cologne
Further information at www.temporarygallery.org.
