Kunst am Bau
Lucy Raven: Lichtspielhaus
The competition
New York artist Lucy Raven has won the invitation competition "Kunst am Bau" for the Bauhaus Museum Dessau. The artist convinced the seven-member jury with her concept of "Lichtspielhaus" – a dynamic lighting installation made of glass in different colours, which interacts with the architecture of the building by González Hinz Zabala (addenda architects).
“A new level is introduced through the work, a 'second curtain' made of coloured glass panels artistically picks up the architecture and develops the design and use possibilities of the ground floor as an 'open stage'," the jury explained in its statement. The jury particularly emphasized the conceptual references to the Bauhaus, its stage and Josef Albers' colour studies and their openness to new media. Commenting on the decision, the Director of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation says: "I am particularly pleased about this contemporary interpretation, which opens a new play between the current architecture of the museum, historical references to the Bauhaus and future visitors.”
The competition
In the first stage of the procedure, a commission invited 13 international artists to participate in the competition, including Veronika Kellndorfer (GER), Michael Riedel (GER), Peter Krauskopf (GER), Olaf Holzapfel (GER), Lucy Raven (USA), Pia Maria Martin (GER/FRA), Tomás Saraceno (ARG) and Janet Laurence (AUS). At its meeting on 2 November 2017, the jury chose Lucy Raven (USA) among all the concepts.
First part: Commission for the selection of artists: Frank Assmann (Bauhaus Dessau Foundation); Dr. Joachim Jäger (Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin); Dirk Postel (State Chancellery and Ministry of Culture of Saxony-Anhalt); Anne Schwanz (curator Eigen+Art Lab, Berlin); Julia Stoschek (art collector Julia Stoschek Collection, Düsseldorf/Berlin); Dr. Brigitta Thomas (for the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media); Dr. Annegret Laabs (Director, Kunstmuseum Magdeburg).
Second part: jury: Katja Aßmann (Kunstsachverständige, Zentrum für Kunst und öffentlichen Raum – Schloss Biesdorf, Berlin); Lilian Engelmann (art expert, Neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst Berlin); Roberto González (art expert, architect, Barcelona); Dr. Claudia Perren (Director, Bauhaus Dessau Foundation); Dr. Sebastian Saad (for the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media); Gabi Schillig (art expert, artist, Düsseldorf/Berlin); Dr. Wolfgang Schneiß (State Chancellery and Ministry of Culture of the State of Saxony-Anhalt).
The Bauhaus Dessau Foundation presents the eight submitted concepts
1. Veronika Kellndorfer
Balkon – Projektionen
2. Michael Riedel
12 Fahnen
3. Peter Krauskopf
Die Fahrradlampe
4. Olaf Holzapfel
Wachsende Häuser
5. Lucy Raven
Lichtspielhaus
6. Pia Maria Martin
Crystal
7. Tomas Saraceno
Cloud Cities – Inhabiting Spacetime
8. Janet Laurence
The Red Thread