Letting rooms speak

From November 5, 2022 to March 5, 2023, the Kunsthalle Bielefeld is presenting works by Heinz Emigholz, Man Ray and James Welling parallel to the exhibition “Dark Matter. Thomas Ruff, James Welling”, the Kunsthalle Bielefeld is presenting works by Heinz Emigholz, Man Ray and James Welling. Under the title “Letting spaces speak”, the exhibition project in the foyer of the Kunsthalle revolves around the cinematic approach to architecture.

With the establishment of film as a medium in the 1920s, modernist architecture also became a popular subject of film documentaries.

But what does the cinematic image do to the perception of architecture? What opportunities are opening up? Like photography, film always gives a subjective impression of architecture. So who is looking at the buildings here and with what intention? How are they staged on film? What does this do to our impression of the architectural icons?

Early architectural films from the 1920s already bear witness to the desire not only to explore the forms of the new buildings, but also to test the limits of the documentary. Three selected short films exemplify the arc from the early years of architectural film to the present day. Heinz Emigholz’s (*1948) works, which are located between photography and film, allow the material and character of the depicted spaces to emerge with unusual shooting angles, tilted cameras and still images, while James Welling’s (*1951) short films transform the buildings into a frenzy of color and movement.

On Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 18:00, a film screening of Heinz Emigholz’s work “Le Corbusier (IIIII)/Asgar Jorn (Relief)” will take place in the Kunsthalle’s lecture hall under the title “Kamerablick und Wirklichkeit”. Following the film, Laura Rehme (Kunsthalle Bielefeld) and Daniel Eschkötter (Bielefeld University) will talk to Heinz Emigholz about his work.