H A U S - R U C K E R - C O Drawings and Objects 1969 -1989

HAUS-RUCKER-CO D R AW I N G S A N D O B J E C T S 1 9 6 9 – 1 9 8 9 L.O.M.O. ARCHIVE ROC FLOMAR COLLECTION EDITED BY

L A U R I D S O RT N E R & M A N F R E D O RT N E R

From the founding of the group in 1967 to the announcement of its dissolution in 1993, works by Haus-Rucker-Co were shown at internationally acclaimed events. These included contributions to Documenta 5, 6 and 8, and solo exhibitions at the openings of the Centre Pompidou Paris and the ­Kunsthalle Wien. The focus was always on individual events, installations that intervened in space and exhibitions that focused on a particular theme. A presentation of the group’s overall considerations and thematic connections was still missing from the list.

The present documentation shows 827 drawings and pictures and 51 sculptures. The works are from the L.O.M.O. Archive and from the Roc ­Flomar collection, together in possession of almost 2,800 pieces of art. These collections bring the oeuvre of Haus-Rucker-Co together without gaps and the very best of examples. Art pieces located in the MoMa New York, Centre Pompidou Paris, Frac Orleans, MuMok and Albertina in Vienna, and the Laufs Collection / David Zwirner New York are also represented.

This provides an overview of the artistic work and methods for the first time.

Structurally, these five volumes parallel the monograph Haus-Rucker-Co 1967–1983, published in 1983 and one of the first books in a series of publications by the DAM architecture museum in Frankfurt, founded by Heinrich Klotz. Each chapter is preceded by the introduction used at the time. Past deliberations thus emerge with a liveliness and unused quality and have – from a current viewpoint – lost nothing of their original freshness.

VOLUME I

To w a r d s a n e w k i n d o f s p a c e Return to base camp 1

VOLUME II

C o n s t r u c t i n g a s e c o n d n a t u re Release into the wild

VOLUME III

Urban tools M a r k i n g u r b a n a re a s

V O L U M E I V Tr a n s f o r m e r s

Reconstructing the city VOLUME V B re a k i n g a w a y f ro m h o m e Untitled

The volumes are bound in dark blue silk linen and come in a matching, compact slipcase: Numbered edition: 500 copies Format 24 x 31 cm, 1024 pages with 749 color and 120 black-and-white illustrations.

Paper: Munken Lynx 130g Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König

Subscription Price until 31 October € 340,later € 390,Place your subscription order at hrc@skillmill.co

An extract from the Volume I To w a r d s a n e w k i n d o f s p a c e Return to base camp 1

HAUS-RUCKER-CO Drawings and Objects 1969–1989 i n 5 Vo l u m e s VOLUME I To w a r d s a n e w k i n d o f s p a c e Return to base camp 1 VOLUME II C o n s t r u c t i n g a s e c o n d n a t u re Release into the wild VOLUME III Urban tools M a r k i n g u r b a n a re a s VOLUME IV Tr a n s f o r m e r s Reconstructing the city VOLUME V B re a k i n g a w a y f ro m h o m e Untitled V E RLAG DER BUCHHANDLUNG WALTHER KÖNI G, COLOGNE

HAUS-RUCKER-CO D R AW I N G S A N D O B J E C T S 1 9 6 9 – 1 9 8 9 L.O.M.O. ARCHIVE ROC FLOMAR COLLECTION EDITED BY

L A U R I D S O RT N E R & M A N F R E D O RT N E R

VOLUME I

To w a r d s a n e w k i n d o f s p a c e Return to base camp 1

T h e o e u v r e of Haus-Rucker-Co appears to be wrapped in a shimmering cocoon, revealing outlines but keeping it hidden as a whole.

From the founding of the group in 1967 to the announcement of its dissolution in 1993, works by Haus-Rucker-Co were shown at internationally acclaimed events. These included contributions to Documenta 5, 6 and 8, and solo exhibitions at the openings of the Centre Pompidou Paris and the Kunsthalle Wien. The focus was always on individual events, installations that intervened in space and exhibitions that focused on a particular theme.

A presentation of the group’s overall considerations and thematic connections was still missing from the list.

The present documentation shows 827 drawings and pictures and 51 sculptures. The works are from the L.O.M.O. Archive and from the Roc Flomar collection, together in possession of almost 2,800 pieces of art.

These collections bring the oeuvre of Haus-Rucker-Co together without gaps and the very best of examples. Art pieces located in the MoMa New York, Centre Pompidou Paris, Frac Orleans, MuMok and Albertina in Vienna, and the Laufs Collection / David Zwirner New York are also represented.

This provides an overview of the artistic work and methods for the first time. There are two explanations for how a bundle of work of this magnitude could be kept together over almost half a century. Firstly, the conviction that the complexity of the oeuvre could only be done justice to as a single whole, with branching contexts. Secondly, the belief that the legend is connected to the luxurious model of being able to escape the art market.

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Structurally, these five volumes parallel the monograph Haus-Rucker-Co 1967–1983, published in 1983 and one of the first books in a series of publications by the DAM architecture museum in Frankfurt, founded by Heinrich Klotz. For the most part, works are presented chronologically in the order they were made. Groupings that depart from this system can be found in the sculptures of the 1980s, where similar themes have been grouped together, although the works may lie quite far apart chronologically.

Each chapter is preceded by the introduction used at the time. Past deliberations thus emerge with a liveliness and unused quality and have – from a current viewpoint – lost nothing of their original freshness. The addition of current remarks can be recognised by the use of italics. All historical visual material is shown in black and white. All sculptures, drawings and pictures found in the two collections are illustrated in colour.

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Zu neuem Raum in Haus-Rucker - Co 1967 bi s 1983 (Writing series by the Deutsches Architekturmuseum Frankfurt, 1984)

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To w a r d s a new kind of space

The 1960s were focussed on everyday events. “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes�, predicted Andy Warhol. And in this regard, the day also proffered a colourful unity, positively connected with each day ahead. By and large, it seemed that the world was moving towards better times and people felt more at one with their own era than ever before. Suddenly, the everyday world did not have to be grey. The mass media had taken complete hold of daily life. Moon landing broadcasts became historic events which, for the first time, were viewed by a large proportion of humanity. Here historicity coincided with the period during which the event took place.

Technical developments emerged as being practically limitless, and also as being devoid of any worrying side effects. A cheerful confidence, built up over an extended time by advertising, formed a shimmering bubble that seemed big enough to hold all of life. Changes affected even one’s own mundane area.

Something had started to move, and it was replacing the grumpiness generated by twenty years of reconstruction and a compulsive fixation on hard work. A time seemed to discover itself, and delight in the present day caused looming problems to simply be pushed aside in a childish manner. The uncritical and unreflective aspects of this phase, later much criticised, were rooted in a sensuality that was utterly lost in the years to follow.

Jet Suit. Five engines can propel you through the air at around 40 mph to a maximum height of 12,000 ft. Jet Suits are on sale, including training. Gravity Industries, 2018

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The earth as seen from the moon, taken from Apollo 17, 1972

Asteroid Oumuamua (Hawaiian for “Messenger from the Past”), c. 400 m long.

It has probably been travelling along the Milky Way at a speed of 95,000 kilometres per hour for hundreds of millions of years.

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Pop was the magic word. Its new colours and fresh sounds ushered in a joy of life that had long been lacking. What had been stagnant finally started to flow, and youthfulness became an important criterion which, despite the maxim of “don’t trust anyone over 30”, was not restricted to a specific age group. Decorating oneself, surrounding oneself with gaudy trifles, proved itself a form of affluence in which everyone could share, which applied a colourful layer over all differences. Criticism of inadequacies was expressed, if at all, in a playful way, the world felt right and even offered a future to those who thought differently. The future was a future of uninterrupted possibilities, no matter which direction one turned. The image of a “better” world seemed within close grasp: heading off together towards new, unknown opportunities. The conquest of the moon was just an external symbol of all of this.

Our early projects were marked by technological innovation. We saw the situation of the astronauts – who were able to experience new space with the help of technology – as a model example of “mind-expanding” architecture.

The dream of using architectural devices to perceptibly control consciousness appeared to have now entered the realm of possibility through these experiences of space travel and hallucinogenic drugs. Architecture could be seen as a benevolent transformer, able to directly influence the consciousness of its users.

The fundamental reflections on the appliances and compressed spaces that were developed in the process always started from the same initial point: the breaking down of perceptions into individual sensitivities to be simultaneously magnified and distorted would to lead to a lasting intensification of the visual experience. The goal before our eyes: to squeeze from the environment the juice for a rapid and complete expansion of one’s own consciousness using cold mechanics, not the hot chemistry of drugs.

An entire series of projects followed which, on the small scale as portable appliances and at a larger scale as furniture-like equipment and minimal spaces, were intended to implement these ideas. We were particularly occupied by attempts to discover new spatial circumstances to bring both heightened sensitivity and a reduction of necessary building materials. Spherical membranes, inflated with air to achieve their form, provided the best conditions for this.

A small power unit transformed air into a building material which, if necessary, could also be enriched with chemical additives affecting the users’ physical and psychological functions. Architecture made of air: a return to the roots of building, technically reinterpreted. In this way, demands for mobility and changeability were met by soft, flexible building forms. The right angle, a principle of all rigid structures, was overcome not by formal arbitrariness, but simply by the characteristics of the new materials. What amazing opportunities! To change society by putting it in a soft, flowing environment: making the transition to a different way of thinking through softly swinging motion.

The fact that these attempts never went beyond the early stage and the effects aimed at could, at best, only be hinted at does not change the correctness of the approach. It will not be long before the flow of forces emanating from spaces, from building mass and from the built environment as a whole will be determined by rules. This will signify the start of a new architecture.

Apple headquarters, Cupertino, California, 2017

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Y E L LO W H E A R T

Vienna, 1968

Yellow Heart offers an opportunity to leave behind one’s true surroundings to visit a space that contrasts strongly with the natural environment.

Visual and acoustic impressions help users achieve a new kind of relaxation. The soft, pulsating movements of the apparatus cause a gentle loosening of sensibilities.

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Yellow Heart, 1968 in the excavated site for the police headquarters on the Ringstrasse in Vienna

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Mind-Expander 3 Laurids, 1969 Colour pencil on paper 29.8 x 42.1 cm HRC no.417

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MEP MOrtner, 1971 Lead pencil on tracing paper 29.7 x 67.6 cm HRC no.835

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MEP MOrtner, 1971 Lead pencil on tracing paper 29.8 x 40 cm HRC no.842

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MEP MOrtner, 1971 Colour pencil on tracing paper 29.7 x 25.2 cm, 29.7 x 32.2 cm HRC no.834

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Entwicklung und Wirkungsweise des ‘Mind-Expanding-Program’ MOrtner, 1971 Lead pencil, colour pencil on tracing paper 39 x 41 cm HRC no.55

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47th CITY 1967

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Cities are mutation machines. A built environment, condensed into an all-encompassing machine. It may not function with precision and intensity at first, but it soon becomes the medium for the total mutation of human life. A mass that we ourselves have created begins to change us.

A breakdown of the forms allows everyone to achieve the desired state.

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47. Stadt Laurids, 1969 Collage, lead pencil, photo on cardboard 31.2 x 62.8 cm HRC no.1135

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47. Stadt Laurids, 1967 Lead pencil on tracing paper 44 x 60 cm HRC no.2145

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47. Stadt Laurids, 1967 Lead pencil on tracing paper 70.5 x 30 cm HRC no.2147

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Oase Psy-Point, Ifni, Marokko Laurids, MOrtner, 1971 Collage, lead pencil on tracing paper 25 x 44.5 cm HRC no.91

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I F N I OA S I S

Marocco, 1971

This concept created a network of artificial oases envisioned to make the desert region of Ifni, Morocco accessible for tourism. With a half-day drive by jeep separating each oasis, the spartan facilities conveyed the experience of a foreign, technically archaic culture.

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Oasen fĂźr Marokko MOrtner, 1971 Lead pencil, photo on tracing paper 23.4 x 39.4 cm HRC no.104b

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Oasen fĂźr Marokko MOrtner, 1971 Lead pencil, photo on tracing paper 23.4 x 38 cm HRC no.104a

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Gulliver MOrtner, 1972 Lead pencil, colour pencil on tracing paper 29.7 x 44 cm, 29.7 x 43 cm HRC no.1004

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Operation Gulliver MOrtner, 1972 Lead pencil on tracing paper 56.6 x 43 cm HRC no.871

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An extract from the Volume II C o n s t r u c t i n g a s e c o n d n a t u re Release into the wild

S E C O N D N AT U R E

1972

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Many projects explore the changing relationship between the natural landscape and the built environment, attempting to explain the evolving meaning of these two terms. The built environment has taken over the role of habitat, a role once limited to the natural landscape; actual nature is now a mere fragment and building block in our built environment.

Kraftwerk MOrtner, 1972 Lead pencil, colour pencil on tracing paper 51 x 72.5 cm HRC no.111

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Wasserstiege MOrtner, 1973 Lead pencil, colour pencil on cardboard 65 x 99 cm HRC no.146

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Platz MOrtner, 1975 Lead pencil on tracing paper 59.5 x 82 cm HRC no.1282

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Vollklimatisierte Kreuzung MOrtner, 1973 Lead pencil, colour pencil on paper 32.4 x 49.3 cm HRC no.910

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Natur-Inszenierung 2, GestĂźrzter Berg MOrtner, 1974 Lead pencil, ink on paper 49.5 x 73 cm HRC no.1132

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Naturinszenierung 1 MOrtner, 1974 Lead pencil, ink on paper 49.5 x 73 cm HRC no.1131

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Wassertore MOrtner, 1976 Colour pencil on tracing paper 29.7 x 46.5 cm HRC no.750

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Untitled MOrtner, 1976 Lead pencil, colour pencil on paper 21 x 29.7 cm HRC no.1504

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‘Berglehne’ Projekt für Bonn MOrtner, 1974 Lead pencil, colour pencil on paper 61 x 80 cm HRC no.152

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Alpenländischer Wasserfall MOrtner, 1974 Felt pen, ink, colour pencil on tracing paper 59.5 x 76 cm HRC no.1133

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Tafelberg MOrtner, 1988 Lead pencil, crayon on tracing paper 52.5 x 45 cm HRC no.133

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Tafelberg 2 MOrtner, 1988 Lead pencil, colour pencil on tracing paper 59 x 50 cm HRC no.592

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An extract from the Volume III Urban tools M a r k i n g u r b a n a re a s

T I LT E D P L A N E

Vienna, 1976

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The Tilted Plane stood at the upper end of the Naschmarkt, where there are no stalls selling food. Close to KettenbrĂźcke railway station, designed

by Otto Wagner, and not far from his apartment buildings on the Linke Wienzeile, it visually divided the long open space into two halves. The black side faced the city, the white side away.

The Schräge Ebene is an example of “provisional architecture”, a medium for the conversion of our cities, a means of imposing order and contributing a largescale piece of urban furniture. Provisional architecture is aggressive; it breaks open established ways of seeing. It comes from a school of provoking astonishment, and can function free of any utilitarian constraints, since it does not have to survive for the next hundred years.

Tilted Plane Naschmarkt, Vienna, 1976

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Schräge Ebene, 1976 Cardboard, wood, galvanized iron wire, painted aluminium sheet 70 x 70 x 28 cm

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Untitled MOrtner, 1978 Lead pencil, colour pencil, ink on paper all 20.9 x 29.6 cm HRC no.1520

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Untitled Laurids, 1976 Lead pencil on tracing paper 29.8 x 64 cm HRC no.1473

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Schräges Tor MOrtner, 1976 Lead pencil on tracing paper 29.7 x 45 cm HRC no.728

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Untitled MOrtner, 1976 Lead pencil on tracing paper 29 x 45 cm, 29 x 47 cm HRC no.1480

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Untitled MOrtner, 1976 Lead pencil, felt pen on tracing paper 30 x 47 cm, 30 x 49 cm HRC no.1481

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(Blei) Fahne MOrtner, 1988 Lead pencil on tracing paper 33 x 75 cm HRC no.308

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Fahne (Blei) MOrtner, 1988 Lead pencil, felt pen on paper 31.5 x 33 cm, 33 x 39 cm HRC no.674

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Untitled Zamp, 1981 Lead pencil, colour pencil on tracing paper 29.7 x 53 cm, 29.7 x 54.5 cm HRC no.1347

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Untitled Zamp, 1981 Lead pencil, felt pen on tracing paper 60 x 54 cm HRC no.1348

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Korridor, 1981 Wood and zinc sheet 80 x 27 x 28 cm

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Korridor MOrtner, 1981 Lead pencil on tracing paper 49 x 75 cm HRC no.1389

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Korridor MOrtner, 1981 Lead pencil on tracing paper 29.7 x 78 cm HRC no.1379

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Bibliothek Neuss Lesehof, Lesestationen (I) MOrtner, 1985 Lead pencil, colour pencil on paper 30 x 67.5 cm HRC no.1390

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Lesehof MOrtner, 1985 Lead pencil on tracing paper 59.5 x 81 cm HRC no.1140

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Untitled MOrtner, 1977 Lead pencil on tracing paper 19 x 17 cm, 15 x 21 cm HRC no.1401

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Pyramiden Konstruktion MOrtner, 1977 Lead pencil, colour pencil on tracing paper 29 x 57 cm HRC no.1409

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An extract from the Volume IV Tr a n s f o r m e r s Reconstructing the city

C o n t i n u i t y – The continuity that arcs from Haus-Rucker-Co to O&O Baukunst is epitomized in their projects for the City of Bonn, from a small building designed to balance the open spaces of the surrounding government structures to a stately building that creates order in the historic urban landscape.

Four examples, created in under 40 years, illustrate how a city’s identity can be reinforced. These projects include the artistic intervention represented by the Pavilion of the Elements (1978–1981), the transformation of a market hall into the Bonn Kunsthalle (1986), the Brüser Berg Neighbourhood Centre (1987–1993) and, finally, the building complex for the Sparkasse KölnBonn (2012–2014).

Pavilion of the Elements, Bonn Haus-Rucker-Co, 1981

Kunsthalle on August Macke-Platz, Bonn Haus-Rucker-Co, 1986

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They are a progression from small to large, demonstrating how to create places that influence their surroundings. They are connected by the type of clear, undeniable truth that can summarise complex relationships. Decisive for its influential form is a concentration which, ultimately, develops of its own accord as a result of overlaying all requirements – both those of society and of the building itself – and in response to the timeless call to uncover everything exceptional that is hidden within the ordinary. Results that, thanks to their entirely natural character, will have a long life.

This all has to do with examining the facts and the consequences that result. Nothing can be achieved through wilful misinterpretation. There should be no distortion for the sake of a self-created doctrine; ego should be rejected in favour of scrupulous impartiality. When intervention is delayed, seismographically fine faults, breaks and deep tones can be observed.

A good-humoured lightness is necessary to allow everything peripheral to come closer. Lasting works can be created in this kind of atmosphere.

BrĂźser Berg Neighbourhood Centre, Bonn Haus-Rucker-Co, 1993

Sparkasse KĂślnBonn, Bonn O&O Baukunst, 2017

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Kleine Welt, 1987 Wood pulp board, wood, adhesive film 85 x 50 x 28 cm

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Untitled MOrtner, 1987 Lead pencil on tracing paper 29.7 x 63 cm HRC no.1843

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Stellung MOrtner, 1988 Lead pencil on tracing paper 33 x 62 cm, 33 x 89 cm HRC no.304

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Stellung MOrtner, 1988 Lead pencil on tracing paper 31 x 73 cm HRC no.692

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‘Turm’ Kunsthalle Hamburg Haus-Rucker-Co, 1986 Lead pencil on tracing paper 24 x 43 cm, 26 x 36.4 cm HRC no.1884

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Insel Hamburg Haus-Rucker-Co, 1986 Lead pencil on tracing paper 29.7 x 34 cm HRC no.1887

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Insel Hamburg MOrtner, 1986 Lead pencil on tracing paper 29.6 x 44.2 cm HRC no.59

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Insel Hamburg MOrtner, 1986 Lead pencil on tracing paper 29 x 40 cm HRC no.1885

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PA SS AG E

Bonn, 1983

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A 20-metre-long, arc-shaped segment is cut out of the ground in a public square, raised aloft and supported on steel columns.

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Passage MOrtner, 1984 Lead pencil, colour pencil on tracing paper 29.8 x 47.5 cm HRC no.783

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Passage MOrtner, 1984 Lead pencil, colour pencil on tracing paper 29.7 x 68 cm HRC no.701

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Konstablerwache MOrtner, 1979 Lead pencil, colour pencil on paper 29.6 x 21 cm, 29.6 x 39.8 cm HRC no.882

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Konstablerwache MOrtner, 1979 Ink on tracing paper 29.6 x 81.7 cm, 29.6 x 21 cm HRC no.364

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Treppenhaus, 1986 Cardboard, PVC-foil, brass wire 30 x 37 x 11 cm

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Haus des Tourismus (Treppenhaus) MOrtner, 1986 Lead pencil on tracing paper 55 x 70 cm HRC no.583

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Treppenhaus (Haus des Tourismus) Berlin MOrtner, 1986 Lead pencil on tracing paper 29.7 x 71 cm HRC no.455

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Pavillon der Elemente MOrtner, 1979 Lead pencil, colour pencil on tracing paper 29.7 x 74 cm HRC no.88

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An extract from the Volume V B re a k i n g a w a y f ro m h o m e Untitled

Halb-Räume MOrtner, 1982 Lead pencil on tracing paper 28 x 52 cm, 28 x 56 cm HRC no.538

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Schwebendes Museum MOrtner, 1976 Lead pencil on tracing paper 29 x 38 cm HRC no. No number

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Schwebendes Museum MOrtner, 1976 Lead pencil on tracing paper 46 x 29 cm HRC no. No number

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Lineares Haus MOrtner, 1976 Ink on tracing paper 29.6 x 64.4 cm HRC no.499

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Haltestelle MOrtner, 1979 Lead pencil on tracing paper 29.5 x 86 cm HRC no.344

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Haltestelle MOrtner, 1978 Lead pencil on tracing paper 59.5 x 76 cm HRC no.335

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Der blinde Fleck MOrtner, 1976 Lead pencil, colour pencil on tracing paper 29.8 x 95.3 cm HRC no.1023

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Untitled MOrtner, 1978 Lead pencil, colour pencil, felt pen, ink on cardboard 69.7 x 99.3 cm HRC no.1544

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Untitled MOrtner, n.d.

Lead pencil, colour pencil on cardboard 70 x 100 cm HRC no.1547

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Untitled MOrtner, n.d.

Lead pencil, colour pencil on cardboard 70 x 100 cm HRC no.1536

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