Events in Mettingen

We live in spaces that we shape according to our own ideas. Our everyday life leaves traces that tell of our habits. Experiences that are important to us not only become an essential part of our memory, they also leave a decisive imprint on the architecture that surrounds us. These robust shells promise protection and localisation, but can also create a feeling of confinement. We grow together with spaces - they in turn become an imprint of our personality. Conversely, rooms shape our existence depending on their construction and location. But how can these many interlockings between people and their built environment be made visible and tangible?

RÄUME HAUTNAH brings together artistic positions in MAIN SPACE that do not view the spheres of people and space independently of each other, but rather understand them in complex intertwining processes. The selected works depict the fusion of man and space in a variety of ways: as a physical experience, emotional dependency or instinctive need for protection. By means of sophisticated references between space, textiles, body and skin, the artists refer to the metaphor of architecture as the "third skin" of human beings and thus emphasise their connection to it. They work with technical processes, some of which they have developed themselves, as well as with established media, including photography, film, weaving and installation.

Artists
Absalon, Shannon Bool, Heidi Bucher, Eileen Gray, Do Ho Suh, Mary Mattingly, Tracey Snelling, Francesca Woodman

The Draiflessen Collection contains around one hundred architectural models of C&A department stores. Most of these models were created by the architectural firm Nattler in Essen, formerly E. A. Gärtner/R. Stiens. In the course of the decades-long collaboration between C&A and the Essen office, over 170 department stores have been designed and built since the 1950s, some of which have been remodelled several times and some of which have already been converted or demolished. In addition to this exceptionally extensive collection of models, our company archive also has numerous photographs and documents relating to the respective stores.

This allows us to tell many stories about the buildings that have characterised German city centres for generations. Above all, however, the architectural models themselves are fascinating miniature worlds with their unique character. While they were originally a means of visualising a possible, built future, they are now presented in DAS Forum as representatives and historical testimonies to a state of construction that no longer exists.

In early modern European culture, festivals were not only celebrated but also staged. From sacred to profane, courtly to urban - depending on the occasion, each era organised its own public festivities. Ephemeral, i.e. temporary, festive architecture was an indispensable part of these splendidly staged coronations, anniversaries, victory celebrations, state visits, weddings or birthdays. Specially designed and built for each occasion, the display stands and grandstands transformed the familiar public space, amazed the public and made them forget their everyday lives.

The cabinet exhibition in the Study Hall takes a look at these ephemeral elements that adorned the urban space. The impressive buildings, designed by renowned artists such as Peter Paul Rubens and Romeyn de Hooghe, bear witness to the desire to celebrate special moments and demonstrate political power at the same time. The exhibition presents a trenchant selection from the festival books preserved in the Liberna Collection, with each of these works telling the story of the respective festive moment and the architecture designed specifically for it.

Just like the moment of celebration itself, the festival architecture was short-lived. From the 15th century onwards, the monuments, which were not built to last forever, were therefore recorded in festival descriptions in words and pictures in order to preserve the unique atmosphere of these events for posterity. The mostly richly illustrated documentations are as diverse as the festivals themselves. Thanks to the books, the cabinet exhibition uses AR glasses and an interactive media installation to bring the monuments back to life.

This creates a unique opportunity to revive the architecture of the early modern period not only through the lens of the festival books on display, but also virtually. AR and projector technology provide a fascinating insight into the monumentality of the festival culture.