Hartung | Trenz

VIS-À-VIS

Patio_Museum for Applied Arts Cologne (MAKK), An der Rechtschule, 50667 Cologne

The Museum of Applied Arts in Cologne (MAKK) is located on the site of the former Minorite monastery. Its four wings enclose an almost square inner courtyard analogous to the former cloister. On its west side, near the museum café, there are still restored late gothic triple windows. On its southern side, behind a one-storey museum extension, the Church of the Immaculate Conception (Minoritenkirche) rises up.

Vis a vis in the north, the glazed façade of the spacious entrance hall of the museum. An interior, built for the presentation of mainly modern design exhibits, is juxtaposed with the exterior facade of a historical building, on which applied, fundamental construction and design principles of art and design history can be read.

In the work VIS A VIS by Detlef Hartung and Georg Trenz, the MAKK enters into direct communication with the Minoritenkirche. Vertical and horizontal lines, projected from the direction of the entrance hall, seem at first to scan the sacred building. The lines spread out into lines of text made of light. Quotations from artists, writers and scientists become readable. Condensed thoughts about creativity and design processes literally describe the church and interact with its canon of forms. Like an echo, the texts are modulated as fragments and reflected by the architectural surface.

A proof of the timelessness of basic design elements and basic forms and a plea for the creative and innovative design of the world.

Detlef Hartung
born 1958 in Caracas [ve]
lives and works in Cologne [de]

Georg Trenz
born 1962 in Munich [de]
lives works in Munich [de]

 exhibitions (selected)

hartung-trenz.de/

vimeo