Documenta 11

Kassel, Germany

Photo © Ulrich Schwarz

Architects: KUEHN MALVEZZI

Location: Kassel, Germany
Year: 2002
Client: Documenta / Museum Fridericianum GmbH Project

The works on display at Documenta 11 were placed in relation to each other not as objects, but as spaces. The result was a diverse yet compact sequence of installations whose relationships unfolded only in the process of being exhibited. This concept necessitated a spatial structure that would both connect and separate the works, and which could be modified throughout the curatorial process right up to opening day. Starting with the idea of movement in the city, we designed an exhibition architecture for the 6000 m2 hall in the former Binding brewery. As in urban planning, the spatial positioning of architectural elements and the appropriation of space constituted the two poles of a modular matrix that allowed us to create spaces in various sizes and configurations. Instead of modeling specific spaces, however, we used the movements of visitors as the basis for the spatial arrangement of the works on display.