Alexander Kluy

The umbrella is much more than a mundane everyday object that we only take outside to avoid getting wet. An umbrella is a roof without a house, a micro-universe above our heads that becomes its own climate zone around us, where it is humid but not wet, cool but not cold, shady but not dark. We open it, and it gives us a piece of security in an unfriendly environment. Perhaps the umbrella is the most frequently used accessory in the history of literature and art. Crimes are committed with umbrellas, they are used for flying, dancing, celebrating, and much more. Alexander Kluy takes us on a anything but dry walk through the world of the umbrella - from its invention to its extensive cultural and artistic history, as well as its amusing misuses.