Kawahara Krause Equivocal

Opening
Kawahara Krause: Equivocal, 2021 (Foto: Jan Bitter),

Kawahara Krause: Equivocal, 2021 (Foto: Jan Bitter)

Kawahara Krause: Equivocal, 2021 (Foto: Jan Bitter),

Kawahara Krause: Equivocal, 2021 (Foto: Jan Bitter)

Kawahara Krause: Equivocal, 2021 (Foto: Jan Bitter),

Kawahara Krause: Equivocal, 2021 (Foto: Jan Bitter)

Kawahara Krause: Equivocal, 2021 (Foto: Jan Bitter),

Kawahara Krause: Equivocal, 2021 (Foto: Jan Bitter)

Kawahara Krause: Equivocal, 2021 (Foto: Jan Bitter),

Kawahara Krause: Equivocal, 2021 (Foto: Jan Bitter)

Welcome: Ulrich Müller

Introduction: Hilde Léon, Regula Lüscher, Kawahara Krause

Performace: Iku Nakumara (piano) + Mab Cardoso (dance) click here

At first glance, the architecture of Kawahara Krause Architects seems simple and straightforward. Upon closer examination, however, their design principles reveal themselve as anything but simple or easily decipherable. While the search for a clear structure forms the basis of their work, clarity does not necessarily equate with unambiguity. On the contrary: by subtly modifying simple basic elements or varying their arrangement in relation to one another within a primary structure, complex spatial situations are created. The ambiguous thus becomes a central moment.

The exhibition illustrates this design philosophy on two levels. The spatial installation consists of identical volumes, which are turned to face each other at different angles to create a diverse staggering of transitory spaces. The movement that occurs between the volumes, which are constructed from fabric strips, makes them appear both permeable and closed, so that the gallery space oscillates between actual and phenomenological transparency. This site-specific experimental arrangement is complemented by a set of working models. Exploring the spectrum between laboratory and miscellany, they illustrate the formation of Kawahara Krause Architects’ “equivocal architecture” by means of concrete design tasks.

Kawahara Krause Architects was founded in 2009 by Tatsuya Kawahara and Ellen Kristina Krause in Hamburg. Their pavilion-like works, such as their Wooden Hut, Garden Folly, and Belvedere, have gained critical acclaim. They are currently working on the L-Pavilion for Karl-Marx-Allee in Berlin. Their design work is underpinned by many years of teaching at HafenCity University in Hamburg, Leibniz University in Hannover, and University of Siegen, among others.