Duration: 13 weeks

Project start: Tue 18.10.22  
Excursion Basel: Sat 29.10.- Wed 02.11         
Presentation Ma_01 : Wed 09.11.22  
Introductory lecture Lukas Feireiss: Wed 09.11.22    
Presentation Ma_02 : Wed 30.11.22     
Workshop with Lydia Korndörfer: Wed 07.12.22
Final Presentation Ma_03 : Wed 08.02.23                                                                   

Introduction:

The traditional concept of the museum is being questioned in recent times from many different points of view. Already in the last century, the ideas of Aby Warburg (Der Bilderatlas Mnemosyne, 1924-29), Walter Benjamin (The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, 1935) or André Malraux (The Imaginary Museum, 1940) reinterpreted the relationship between the work of art and the spectator, between the originality and singularity of the work and its exhibition, which, in a way, anticipated the current irruption of digitalization in our time.

Today, the notions of genius, of masterpiece, the dichotomy of great arts versus minor arts, the traditional pre-established exhibition formats (chronological, national schools, etc.) are radically questioned, while approaches related to the digital transmission of art, gender, colonialism, political activism, etc. are introduced as new elements that reformulate the narrative of the museum and its role in society.

Although all museums share their primary architectural mission, that is, the conception of spaces suitable for the exhibition and conservation of the works on display, however, only some of them transcend their immediate sphere of action to create a public space capable of transforming the broader context in which they are inserted. It is ultimately the activity and use of the citizens themselves that gives a place its public character, but it is the architects' responsibility to create the spatial and material conditions that favor and enhance it. Museums are, in this sense, because of their link to culture and their civic vocation, buildings that offer the opportunity and have the implicit mission of regenerating the context in which they are located. Whether they are interventions in existing structures or new constructions, architecture oscillates between the interpretation of the place and its history, on the one hand, and the spatial response to specific requirements, that is, between memory and invention.

Objectives:

Analyzing the interconnection between both themes (the continent and the content), this semester will work on imagining and rethinking the concept of the museum and the exhibition of works of art, i.e. the role of the museum in today's society and its importance in urban regeneration and the creation of public space.

The semester's work is divided into three phases. In the first phase, an analysis of concepts related to contemporary debate will be carried out. In the next phase, an architectural space will be conceived to exhibit a specific work of art. In a third phase, each team will design a building with a program for the arts located in Basel Birsfeld Hafen or Auhafen.

Project Phases:

Phase I Analysis

Each team will choose a case study such as those suggested in the following reference list, and carry out a comparative analysis in relation to the works of art and the architectural spaces where they are exhibited.

Topics:

Traditional fine arts: painting, sculpture.                                      

Temporary exhibitions

Biennials, art fairs

Performances, installations

Audiovisual media, photography, video art

Digital art, NFT …

Refurbishing of previous structures

Expansion of existing museums

New buildings

Museum as an open space

Itinerant exhibition spaces

Museum without walls

...

Phase II Conceptual space for an artwork

This phase consists of the design of an architectural space for a specific work of art to be chosen by each team, which will be worked on a physical model. The exercise aims to propose and discuss alternative ways of exhibiting art, depending on the specific conditions.

Phase III Architectural project

In this last phase, each team will design a project for the exhibition, production or transmission of art, i.e. museum of painting/sculpture; museum of audiovisual art, video, photography; Kunsthaus, installations, performances, artists in residence; open-air museum; traveling pavilion for temporary exhibitions; art school; Schaulager, etc. The project will be located at the industrial areas of Birsfeldhafen and Auhafen site in Basel, the specific location and detailed program of uses will be worked out in the course of the semester. The project will be presented by means of drawings and models.

Teams:

The different phases of the semester will be developed in teams of two students.

Excursion:

Basel (Switzerland)

Sat 29.10 – Wed 02.11

Further visits to museums, art centers and artists' studios in Berlin to be announced in advance.

Semester organisation:

Lehrstuhl Grundlagen des Entwerfens

Prof: Enrique Sobejano

Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin: Lisa Tiedje

Lehrbeauftragte: Lydia Korndörfer

Tutorinnen: Helene Peters, Annalena Mach

Studio: Wednesday 15:00-19:00

Room: 303

Rules of the chair:

- Studio Wednesday attendance is mandatory

- Working in the studio is expected

- Interim and final presentation project, with guest critics

- Interim corrections with Professor and assistants are important; also discussions of other projects should be followed by the other students

- The documents requested must exist and are not filed during the duties/presentations

- Regular checking of emails for announcements and events is expected