Familienbande. Family Ties.
26 October 2026 till September 2027
Families are the core of our society, but they are undergoing significant changes. Due to modern work patterns, globalization, digitalization, the media, and shifting gender roles, family life today is often a source of tension.
The Museum of Communication in Frankfurt is planning a new exhibition called Familienbande (Family Ties) that brings this very transformation to life. It aims to inspire reflection and offer emotional insights. The central question is: How do families remain connected across generations in a networked world—and how do they shape one another?
Our image of family is shaped largely by how we communicate about and within the family. The exhibition encourages visitors to discover and share their own family history.
Call for Participation
We’re looking for contemporary family photos – show us your Family Ties!
For the exhibition Family Ties at the Museum für Kommunikation in Frankfurt (opening October 22, 2026), we are creating a photo installation. This family kaleidoscope aims to show that family is diverse and constantly evolving.
To this end, we are looking for contemporary images of families.
What does your family look like? We are interested in photos that make you say, “This is what family means to me.” The selected images will be displayed in a photo installation. This installation consists of several screens in the exhibition’s entrance area. There, they will be presented alongside other selected images and historical family portraits from the museum’s collection.
How can I participate?
Send your photo in high resolution (300 dpi if possible) along with any details you’d like to include (name, title, copyright if applicable) via email to familienbande@mspt.de. The image file should not exceed 20 MB. Alternatively, you can send us a message on our Instagram account @mfk_frankurt with the hashtag “Familienbande.”
The exhibition team will review the submissions and decide which images will be featured in the Family Kaleidoscope. We won’t be able to display all submissions, but we’re grateful for as many diverse family photos as possible. For all submissions, we’ll clarify how the data will be processed and stored, and how the private photos that become part of the installation may be displayed.
What’s in it for me?
Your submission helps convey a multifaceted picture of the realities of family life, which is the central theme of the exhibition. After all, family is, above all, what you make of it. All contributors will receive a personal invitation to the exhibition opening in October 2026. Families whose photos are included in the installation will also receive vouchers to visit the exhibition during its run, so they can take their time to view the final result together.
For questions and information, please contact Denise Neumann at familienbande@mspt.de.
The submission deadline is July 31, 2026.
We’re creating several audio tours – and we need your voice!
“Searching for Traces: Family Stories” is a participatory project aimed at producing an intergenerational audio tour (featuring children, teens, adults, and seniors) of the exhibition “Family Ties” Through the audio guide, the experiences and family stories of many people will be brought to life in the exhibition.
Your voice will be part of the project
In a series of workshops, we would like to develop this multi-voiced audio track with participants of various age groups. Together, we will discuss personal and societal perspectives on the topic of family, write texts, and record them. The four sections of the exhibition provide topics for stories: “My Family”, “Tracing the Family”, “Family Media”, and “Telling Family Stories.” The finished audio tour will become an integral part of the new special exhibition. At a project presentation in November, we plan to celebrate the results with all participants and walk through the exhibition together.
Production
The audio track for kids will be developed in April and May in collaboration with a Frankfurt elementary school. Between May and July, workshops for adults (ages 65 and under, as well as ages 65 and over) will take place at the Museum for Communication in Frankfurt. The four-day summer vacation workshop for teenagers will be held at a youth education center near Limburg in August. More information below.
| There are still spots available for the workshops for teens, adults, and seniors! |
What’s in it for me?
In addition to volunteering to help shape a cultural project in Frankfurt, all participants are invited to the exhibition opening and the project presentation, and will also receive tickets for a future visit to the museum with their families.
Teens aged 14 to 21: free 4-day summer vacation project
Share your perspective and become part of the “Family Ties” exhibition. Join our four-day workshop in Kirchähr (near Limburg) from August 4 to 7, 2026. Let your stories and family experiences become an integral part of the new special exhibition!
At the Karlsheim Youth Education Center, we’ll work together to develop the texts and record them on-site. How do you experience family? You can share your experiences and learn from one another—in a relaxed setting surrounded by nature. Your voice will become part of the audio guide for the new exhibition!
How can I participate?
Participation is free of charge from August 4 (2:00 p.m.) to August 7, 2026 (until 1:00 p.m.) and includes room and board. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Nina Voborsky (n.voborsky(@)mspt.de). The registration deadline is July 10, 2026.
Adults (up to age 65 / age 65 and older): Workshops at the museum
Erzählen Sie uns von ihrer persönlichen Perspektive und werden Sie so ein Teil der Ausstellung. Wie unterscheidet sich ihre Lebenswelt und ihre Erfahrungen von denen der anderen Teilnehmenden? In den Workshopterminen erarbeiten wir gemeinsam die Erzählungen, schreiben diese nieder und vertonen sie vor Ort. Ihre Erzählungen werden Teil der neuen Ausstellung ein und begleiten die Besuchenden per Audioguide durch die Räume.
Workshop-Dates
Ages 65 and up: 3:00–7:00 p.m. each session. Registration deadline: May 20, 2026
27.5. | 3.6. | 10.6
Up to age 65: 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. each day. Registration deadline: June 8, 2026
24.6. | 1.7. | 8.7.
| Please note: The workshop is structured in such a way that participants must attend all sessions. Space is limited. |
Interested? Send an email to familienbande@mspt.de.
Partners and Funding
The audio tour is sponsored by the Frankfurter Sparkasse Foundation, the Polytechnische Gesellschaft Frankfurt am Main Foundation, and the Cronstett-Hynspergische Evangelical Foundation in Frankfurt am Main.
Title-lllustration: Amelie Persson
