Wunderstadt
Location: Galerie Aedes, Berlin
Type of project: Exhibition
Team: Stig L. Andersson, Svava Riesto, Martin Søberg, Line Toftsø Nyholm, Kirstine Autzen, Mette Marie Kallehauge, Malin Blomqvist
Time of exhibition: 21.12.2005-02.02.2006
Michel Conan: "An Urban Awakening to the Sense of Life" (Article from the exhibition catalogue PDF)
'Wunderstadt' was a presentation of the methods in SLAs landscape and urban planning projects. The exhibition layout was a paraphrase of the SLA studio in Copenhagen. Parts of the office furniture and equipment was set up in Berlin as in a wunderkammer: Shelves full of stone and sand samples as well as boxes containing objects with a sensuous quality were accessible to visitors, illustrating the importance of the work process for quality rich and wonderful city spaces such as the Anchor Park in Malmö, Sweden, the Charlotte Garden in Copenhagen, Denmark, the Urban Garden in Nørresundby, Denmark, and Oslo’s 7 new urban spaces on the Bjørvika Harbour front, Norway.
Wunderstadt [‘vunder∫tat] (City of Wonders ): Name for a vision of the physical environment. As a design strategy Wunderstadt implies a broadening of the programmatic approach to the urban environ-ment. To today’s rationality is added a way of thin-king that is analogue to the Wunderkammer, the private collec-tions of the late Renaissance.
As in Wunderkammer there is no obvious hierarchical organisation of elements in Wunderstadt. A theatrum gloriae rei (stage for objects’ glorification) is presen-ted. The objects appear in a spatial composition that draws attention to the particular or the sensuous ex-perience. Moving through spaces such as these, one steps simultaneously in and out of different worlds. In Wunderstädte the urban spaces offer the citizens sen-suous experiences and surprises. Whether it is natura-lia (- natural objects), artificialia (- man-made objects) or a combination that appear is immaterial. The sen-se of curiosity is awoken as a response to the funda-mental human desire to gain knowledge of the world, to wonder. Being-in-the-world.
The aim was to make it relevant to both laymen and architects by expanding the traditional 2-dimensional plates and plans. We tried to make a performative exhibition; one that can offer sensuous experiences and allow the visitors to play.
Grass, felt, stone, iron grates and post cards made for the exhibition was put in boxes and layed out on shelves so the visitors could make discoveries with eyes, nose and fingers.
One of the post cards showed Knud Brogaard, who is living in Albertslund, right next to Brogård's Square - In fact it is named after him!
The exhibition was kindly supported by the Danish Arts Foundation, DAC, Danmarks Nationalbank’s Anniversary Foundation of 1968, The Politiken Foundation, GH Form, Vesterkopi, Lorberg Baumschulezeugnisse, Zumtopel Staff and Carpet Concept.
There were speeches by (from the left) Hans Jürgen Commerell (Aedes Berlin), Henry Werner (Denmark 's Attaché of Culture in Berlin), Gabrielle Kiefer (Landscape architect), Cristoph Stroschein (City planning consultant) and Stig L. Andersson at the opening.
