A Literary Exhibition with Jana Buch and Thea Mantwill

Within the unique architecture of KIT, islands like those found in libraries and reading rooms will be created, where visitors will be able to sit, rest, read, think, let their gaze wander, and take in the sounds, the light, the space, and the people in it. In contrast to the cavernous exhibition space, might not otherwise seem like an inviting place to linger, the islands are meant to create an atmosphere of calm and comfort with seating, tables, lights, and plants, without screening visitors off from the surrounding space, so that an openness remains apparent from every point in the space, a kind of reading landscape. Each of the islands has its own aesthetic and shape which corresponds to the publication or text that visitors can read or listen to there in specially designed settings consisting of tables, stools, lamps, carpets, and cushions.

There will be eleven islands (one for each publication) as well as a prologue and epilogue on the ramp leading to the exhibition space, along with a sound installation at the entrance to the exhibition, which prepares visitors for the calm and focused atmosphere of the islands. A text related to the architecture of KIT will be recorded for at least one of these stations, so that visitors can listen to it on wireless headphones as they move freely throughout the space.

The exhibition was curated by Gertrud Peters.

Exhibition trailer

Funded by

Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf Kunst- und Kulturstiftung