The land of a thousand fires

A sequence of small pavilions forms the spatial backbone of the exhibition. These provide access to the exhibition stations. A gate-like pavilion marks the entrance. It is followed by three further pavilions on a central axis. Short wall sections are attached to these, which lead to the stations to the left and right. The two center pavilions are designed as walk-through structures; in the third pavilion, the spatial axis ends in a viewing slit.

The passage widths of the pavilions narrow towards the end of the space. This visually shortens the space and slows down the speed at which visitors walk. They are “stopped” and their attention is drawn to the side rooms.

In the two side axes, solid-looking walls were suspended from the ceiling. They form continuous lines, making the side rooms appear visually stretched.

The architecture should enable sensory experiences. The exhibition installations were not designed as thin panels, but as solid bodies. The “physicality” of the architecture is particularly noticeable when components appear to float on the one hand and give the impression of heaviness and mass on the other.

The color of the pavilions, a strong carmine red, appeals to the emotional world. However, it also evokes associations. On a very general level, the color scheme refers to fire and danger, two aspects that run like a common thread through the pictures in the exhibition. However, the red color also refers to specific buildings, such as the red brick buildings of the coal mines in the Ruhr region.