Since Meinhard von Gerkan and Volkwin Marg founded their architectural practice von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp) in Hamburg in 1965, they have carried out projects in almost all large cities in Germany and on four continents. The Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói (MAC) presents an overview of gmp’s work with the international touring exhibition “Designing in Dialogue – Architectural Answers”, which is on now until to August 5. Sketches and drawings provide an idea of the initial conceptual thoughts, models present designs in their three dimensions and photos by well known architectural photographers document the completed buildings. More architects’ description after the break.
The exhibition is accompanied by a lecture programme and a library with all books published by the practice since its formation. Exhibited designs from four continents are organized into four conceptual pairs, which cover important principal, practical and theoretical aspects of gmp‘s work:
- Variety and Uniformity - Mobility and Urbanity - Society and Responsibility - Innovation and Identity
The exhibition room in the Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói (MAC), which was designed by the architect Oscar Niemeyer with Bruno Contarini, consists of a circular gallery which is separated optically and spatially from the central exhibition area by wall slabs, and which offers visitors a constantly changing perspective of the exhibits and the museum ambiance.
The exhibition seizes on this special feature and makes it its core design motif: holograms are projected onto the vertical exhibition surfaces to create three-dimensional double images. Depending on the visitor’s viewing angle and his position in the room, the object is seen from the left or right in separate images which are independent of each other. He sees two images in one: therefore, the exhibition area has been doubled.
