By playing with Sardinia’s lively backdrop of colourful construction and lush vegetation, the architecture duo of Gonzalez Haase AAS created a unique space for the first Modes store in Porto Cervo. In contrast to the island’s hot temperatures, the architects chose to recreate Nordic weather-like progressions by implementing neutral grey shapes and surfaces to cover all floors, walls, and ceilings, complete with curtains made of metallic fibre that add both movement and light reflection to the composition. Across the three floors that make up the space, large display blocks, each unique in their shape and size, were crafted with a palette of one or two colours. Reminiscent of bright “buoys”, their silver surfaces offer an additional neutral background for presenting the retailer’s exclusive garments. Uniform lighting, suspended near the ceiling, contradicts what would be expected in such a climate, calling to reference the cool light of Northern regions. 

Amplifier, a site specific work by Bettina Pousttchi, draws on Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s 19th century architecture of the Berlin Concert Hall. A frontal view of the portico reveals five photographically printed columns between the six familiar Ionic columns. Unlike the historic ones, Bettina Pousttchi’s columns extend beyond the first pediment, leading directly to the portico’s higher second pediment. By altering the familiar dimensions, the installation changes the real perception of the building, creating a new experience of its own.

The German contribution to the 17th Architecture Biennale tunes in from the year 2038 to tell the story of a world, in which everything, though imperfect, has been made better in a profound way. Based on the collective knowledge from international experts across the fields of architecture, art, ecology, economy, philosophy, politics, science and technology, 2038 illustrates, through a series of films, an emergence from crises into a world of radical democracy and viable solutions for co-existence. 

On the occasion of the 17th Gallery Weekend, 49 Berlin galleries presented high-calibre exhibitions, featuring both established and up and coming artists to a local and international public. Despite all odds, the presentation was accessible both on-site and online through an all-encompassing digital format, which allowed Gallery Weekend exhibitions to be fully explored remotely for the very first time. Bureau N was involved in the realisation of the online double including a web journal, commissioned features with galleries and art-world persona, Instagram TV exhibition previews and the moderation of live tours across all participating galleries.

In times of social distancing and spatial boundaries, can we give up human control and embrace a biocentric perspective in its place? LIFE by Olafur Eliasson entangles the Fondation Beyeler with everything that is usually kept outside: microorganisms, non-human species, the weather, the climate. Space has been made for others as bright green water, infused with uranine, now floods the exhibition halls. Inside, delicate floating plants coexist with the park’s insects, bats and birds. Emerging in March and fading away in July, the artwork can be experienced from sunrise to sunset, for there are no fixed opening or closing hours.

More than thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Vitra Design Museum presents the first overview of post-war design in the two Germanies. “German Design 1949–1989: Two Countries, One History” offers a comparative selection of design from East and West Germany and explores ideological and aesthetic differences as well as parallels and interrelations between East and West. Exhibits range from iconic pieces of furniture and lamps to graphic, industrial, and interior design to fashions, textiles, and personal ornaments.