Public space—so unassuming, so dilapidated, so unpredictable, yet so diverse and valuable—encompasses a broad spectrum that gives rise to varying interpretations depending on one’s perspective. This exhibition explores the value of public space, placing a special emphasis on atmosphere. To this end, the gallery space transforms into an extension of the public realm: fallen leaves covering the floor rustle and fill the air with the scent of autumn, while Berlin-style benches invite visitors to linger, converse, and observe. Even the distinctive light that has defined the gallery’s character for over twenty-five years shifts as it interacts with the street lighting that comes on at dusk. In this way, the view out onto the autumnal reality of Karl-Marx-Allee—framed by the shop window—enters into a dialogue with the atmospheric, object-like installation within the warm gallery space.
This approach allows exhibition visitors to vividly experience what the firm Franz Reschke Landschaftsarchitektur (FRL) calls “magic.” Atmosphere, space, and the design of public open spaces have been the central focus of FRL’s work for the past fifteen years. The unexpected—arising from how spaces are appropriated and used—is always part of this reality. Clearly, the concept of “magic” holds a different meaning for everyone, and here, FRL plays upon the visitors’ individual expectations.
The exhibition is complemented by a catalogue featuring around 150 analog photographs. These reflect and illustrate the observations gathered collectively in public spaces by the forty colleagues over the past three years. For the office, the exhibition represents a snapshot in time, as it considers itself far from having reached its goal—seeing itself, rather, as being “somewhere in the middle” of the process.
Among the best-known projects of the firm—established in Berlin in 2011—are The Space of Synagogues in Lviv (2016), the Weser Promenade and Archaeology Park in Höxter (2023), and the Neuss City Park (2026). The firm is currently working on the Solitude-Promenade in Basel (2035) and the Harbor Park in Rüdesheim (2029). Franz Reschke serves on the advisory board of the Federal Foundation of Building Culture (*Bundesstiftung Baukultur*) and is a member of the executive board of the Association of German Landscape Architects (*Bund Deutscher Landschaftsarchitekt:innen*).