Open space design extension Modern Gallery Saarlandmuseum Saarbrücken | D

The joint work by Kuehn Malvezzi and Michael Riedel in collaboration with bbz landschaftsarchitekten, develops the Moderne Galerie and its open spaces as an overall artistic ensemble. A coherent open space was generated from the grid on which Hanns Schönecker's modernist design was based, linking the exhibition pavilions and sculpture garden. The façade of the new building was created by cutting and folding this surface around its outer walls. Interior and exterior space become intertwined, as well as space and façade, as architecture and art combine.

The design is a sculptural installation that uses writing as a form carrier and creates a different legibility of place. The audio recording of the decisive parliamentary debate on the implementation of the concept by Kuehn Malvezzi and Michael Riedel on 22 April 2015 is translated into a typeface that was printed directly onto 4 m x 4 m ashlar slabs and appears on parts of the square and façade.
The ashlar slabs were inscribed using stencils after they were installed on site. bbz landschaftsarchitekten undertook extensive research into the materiality of Michael Riedel's artwork. A material was sought that had the greatest possible homogeneity and was suitable as a material for both the floor covering and the façade. The chosen, almost white large-format slabs of 4 x 4 m with black applied lettering take up the grid of the old building of the Modern Gallery by Hanns Schönecker. As prefabricated ashlar slabs, they represent an absolute novelty in this size as a floor covering in the exterior space. The homogeneity with regard to the façade and the exterior as well as the application of lettering and appliqué were also the subject of extensive research.
While two prominent monumental sculptures accentuate the area on the north side of the Modern Gallery, to the south of the existing museum building is the sculpture garden, which was created at the same time as the gallery pavilions. It is characterized by valuable old trees and a large number of sculptures that are closely linked to the existing collection and can be viewed from a circular path with a view of the Saar. The western square area between the entrance to the museum and the Hochschule für Musik serves as an attractive forecourt for both buildings and as a spacious outdoor area for the museum restaurant. The eastern square area represents the forecourt for the museum administration and also functions as an access road for the museum's deliveries.