Today we had class at 8AM so I was up and at 'em early. After class, homework, ice cream for Andrew's birthday, and lunch, we headed out to Hamburger Bahnhof, a contemporary art museum transformed from an old train station.
Inside, the museum was a little confusing, and we did a lot
of back tracking when trying to figure out where to go. I was hoping for more information about the
space itself, since it was unique compared to other museums. Instead we started to wander, as it seems is
common amongst art museums. We first
moved into an architecture/installation exhibit, with each large room dedicated
to a certain artist. Each room started
off with a text piece in English and German stating the artist’s name and a
sort of artist statement discussing their past works and the current piece of
display. Some even contained sketches or sculptural models which pertained to the artwork, which added another layer of connections between artist and viewer.
Another unique feeling I got from this museum was a tension
between wanting to touch and physically engage with the objects and not knowing
if you are allowed to do so. In most
museums, paintings or display cases hang on walls, while sculptures or other
pieces stand on pedestals. Bahnhof
reminded me of a clean, white, and organized version of Kunsthaus Tacheles,
with installations and sculptures sitting right in the middle of the
floor. Viewers had to gauge what other
viewers were doing, and what the guards were doing to decide whether it was
okay to move into a space or engage physically with the works. One piece allowed viewers to draw on pieces
of paper to add to the artwork, which I was hesitant to do at first, but ended
up doing so in the end because it is fun to draw. Another piece had a small doorway, which I
walked into since the guard didn’t say anything when I got close.
A piece I enjoyed in particular was “Room with my Soul Left Out, Room that Does Not Care” a physical space inspired by a dream of the artist.
Our next stop was a temporary exhibit on sculpture, in this case, Light Sculpture. The artist creates lights which project from the ceiling and from the walls, and using smoke machines, the lights create sculptural forms. Here is Mary, having fun inside one of the light sculptures. This was such a fun and interactive exhibit, it really made the museum worthwhile.
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