About


The Schaustelle at the Pinakothek der Moderne – a summer stop-gap
A temporary measure that turned out to be a wonderful opportunity: an innovative setting of the highest calibre for thought-provoking art and events, which was enthusiastically embraced by participants and public alike. In the spring and summer of 2013, the four museum collections at the Pinakothek der Moderne used the closure of their building for renovation as the chance for an experiment, the brain-child of the Pinakothek der Moderne Foundation. A temporary pavilion – the ‘Schaustelle’ or ‘show site’ – was set up as a platform for a rapidly changing programme of events which would have been difficult if not impossible to stage in the usual museum space.
An empty area to the south of the Pinakothek der Moderne became the site of a spectacular structure. Based on designs by Jürgen Mayer H., a pavilion was constructed consisting of a tall framework of open scaffolding, part of it cantilevered out into mid-air. An enclosed area, terraces on the upper storey and a 17-metre-high viewing platform offered space for events. the building itself was recyclable; the scaffolding, containers, and cladding from which it was made have now been fed back into the building cycle. Its design was just as much a part of what the Schaustelle stood for as the content of the art and events it housed, making it a living embodiment of appropriate- ness, flexibility, a paring back to the essentials, commitment to the provisional and experimental. the aim of the Schaustelle was to provide a platform for more transdisciplinary exchange, improvisation and open-ended processes than are possible inside a museum building. the programme developed by the curators grew out of the unique nature of the Schaustelle, probing issues of mobility, ephemerality, and sensuality. there was interaction not only between the museums’ four core areas of architecture, art, the graphic arts, and design, but also with other disciplines such as music, performance art, and science.
the freely adaptable space on the ground floor was not only used for presentations, discussions, and other events but also as a lounge. the open scaffold structure in the outdoor area was used as further exhibition space, in parti- cular for projection: movable scaffolding walkways gave ever-changing perspectives of the city and museum site. creative artists of all types – painters, designers, architects, dancers, theatre-people – made the building and its surroundings their own, as did visitors. Lectures and symposiums alternated with performances and exhibitions. the pace was unrelenting. changes to the structure were made almost every week, altering the appearance of the Schaustelle. All the projects are documented in this publication, each accompanied by a flyer created by Bureau Mirko Borsche. More about the life of the Schaustelle can be found at: www.schaustelle-pdm.de. the extraordinary project was made possible by a strong partnership between the museum, the state of Bavaria, backers from industry, and public support. the Pinakothek der Moderne Foundation, the Bavarian government, and AudI AG provided substantial financial backing for the Schaustelle; its programme and this publication were also supported by PIn. Freunde der Pinakothek der Moderne e.V. the four museum collections, their directors and curators would like to thank all the ‘team players’ – the artists and creators of every discipline, the coordination team, and the many helpers and supporters who made the Schaustelle project a reality. In addition, the directors in particular wish to thank the curators whose ideas and dedication made the Schaustelle possible in the first place.the Pinakothek der Moderne reopened in September 2013. At the same time, the Schaustelle closed. the success of the experiment and the extraordinary public response to it give the four museum collections new impetus for continuing their close collaboration, experimenting for the future with unfamiliar, as well as tried and tested formats, and constantly asking themselves: what is the role of the museum of tomorrow?