|
 
 

Architect: Carsten Nicolai, Germany 
Location: Berlin, Germany   

In the centre of Berlin, an amazing institution known as the Temporäre Kunsthalle is a great venue for contemporary art as exhibits are housed not only within Adolf Krischanitz’s free plan interior, but also on the exterior.

As each new artist brings his own personality to the building’s exterior, the 11 meter high building, which covers a ground surface of 20 by 56.25 meters, becomes the artist’s blank canvas, patiently waiting for its new treatment. The most recent exterior exhibition, autoR by Carsten Nicolai, is the third project to be realized on the façade.

Conceived as a self-organizing process, visitors can contribute to the design by applying Nicolai’s stickers, a geometric shape produced in seven colours. To prepare the exterior for Nicolai’s exhibit, the building’s exterior of fiber-cement panels has been covered with sheets of white PVC. This emptiness represents a “zero state - a space of possibility.”

Visitors are able to apply the stickers to the surface. There are even aerial work platforms available to aid visitors wishing to place their stickers at the top of the building. The result is a permanently changing facade whose appearance is shaped by a dynamic, interactive process that is open to all visitors.

The installation’s title, autoR by Carsten, is a perfect fit for the project. Derived from the Greek “auto”, which means founded on itself, the exhibition title becomes “author” with the addition of the letter ‘r’. The visitor truly becomes the author as his personal decision becomes the catalyst for this interactive design.

Technical info: PVC sheet
Picture credits: Alvor Bordin - René Zieger