30 October 2025

By Nina Rothe

Last semester, Prof. Starck offered an M12 Seminar called “Brexit and the Union of the Nations”. Her class gave us a broad overview of the beginnings of Brexit, why Britain voted ‘Leave’, as well as the current situation regarding Brexit and the Nations. One of the key requirements for successful attendance was a group project on the current situations concerning Brexit in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The aim was not just to present something to the seminar, but to have them engage with what we had planned and escape the common seminar atmosphere.

Since our project presentation happened to be almost at the end of the semester, we didn’t want to overwhelm our fellow students with new information or have them prepare texts, as they had already done all semester long. This gave us the idea of an immersive museum exhibition where students can look at information at their own pace and interact with three different stations to apply their newly gained knowledge.

Due to the current debate about whether the ‘Peace Lines’ in Belfast should be taken down or kept as a reminder of the significant period of ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Irish history, our decision was clear: to create a ‘Peace Wall’. The Peace Lines, as they are known in Northern Ireland, were built during ‘The Troubles’, mostly in Belfast, to separate Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods and therefore reduce conflict and protect the communities.

Our wall divided the seminar room into two sections. The flowing paper strips, in the colors of the Irish flag and the Union Jack, the wall was made of, allowed participants to break through easily and walk on both sides. Pictures of the Peace Lines in Northern Ireland were hung between the paper strips, so they were a little hidden, and you had to look for them and take your time with them. Three stations along the Wall enabled us to provide information on the Peace Lines as well as the current generational conflicts, fears, and worries of the younger generation, as well as the current political situation concerning Brexit and Northern Ireland. The stations contained tasks designed to either note down one’s thoughts about newly acquired information or to test it.

In the end, our Peace Wall was taken down. But we reused its paper strips for the kids of a Kindergarten who so kindly cut out the same strips for us and let them reuse them to craft something. Therefore, the wall was not just taken down, but it benefited a younger generation differently.