MEDIA RELEASE
pubished by Birkhäuser: 6 December 2018
ATELIER BRÜCKNER: Staging the Space
now available
ATELIER BRÜCKNER
Scenography – Szenografie 2
Staging the Space – Der inszenierte Raum
432 pages
402 colour illustrations and numerous diagrams and plans
Format: 22 x 28 cm
Hardback, English/German
ISBN 978-3-0356-1640-8
Published by Birkäuser, Basel
“Scenography”, by Atelier Brückner, explores theoretical and practical aspects in the design of exhibitions and other staged experiential spaces.
“Scenography is a universal design discipline that is interdisciplinary, integrative, and holistic in nature. It instrumentalizes the tools of architecture such as graphic design, light, sound, and media to form a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’. Scenography is a fitting design philosophy for today’s hybrid reality that mixes analogue and virtual experiences.” Professor Uwe R. Brückner
How do you develop narrative architectural designs, experiential exhibitions, and synaesthetic scenography? “Scenography” provides a wide range of insights into the working methods of the internationally active design studio Atelier Brückner (Stuttgart). These methods are exemplified by over 60 projects which illustrate how exhibition concepts are realised using the five parameters of content, object, space, recipient, and dramaturgy. Founding partner and the book’s lead author, Uwe R. Brückner, however, wants to do more than simply present his studio’s work and is primarily interested in conveying a methodology for this young design discipline. Visitors to exhibitions created by Atelier Brückner are not simply viewers or consumers – they are active protagonists in a spatial narrative experience. “Scenography” presents a “navigation system” or “toolbox” for spatial staging that gives both students and professionals a conceptual structure for scenographic design.
At the heart of this methodology is the Creative Structure CS, which Brückner first developed and used on the “Expedition Titanic” exhibition in Hamburg’s Speicherstadt in 1997. The storytelling was conveyed through quotations from protagonists who travelled on the Titanic, objects were staged as subjects with narrative potential (e.g. as a “space of silence”) rather than archaeological finds, space was conceived of as a narrative plane, as a stage, and design elements such as light and sound were integrated and synchronised. Visitors were invited to feel like passengers and experience the exhibition as a journey following a dramatic curve.
Further milestones at Atelier Brückner include the trading floor of the German Stock Exchange in Frankfurt/Main, the BMW Museum in Munich, and the European Parliament’s “Parlamentarium” visitor centre in Brussels; current projects range from refurbishment of the Wagenhallen in Stuttgart to exhibition design for the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza.
Birkhäuser is one of the world’s leading publishers for architecture, design, and landscape design. Founded in Basel in 1879, the company releases more than 75 new titles every year – “must-haves” for professionals in the field. Birkhäuser is home to renowned authors and architects such as Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Andrea Deplazes, Herzog & de Meuron, and Peter Zumthor. Birkhäuser has been a De Gruyter company since 2012. www.birkhauser.com
Contact
Eric Merkel-Sobotta,
Communications,
Telephone +49 (0)30-260 05 304,
Press agency: mai public relations GmbH, Julia Wolter and Cordula Vielhauer, Telephone +49 (0)30-66 40 40 551,
ATELIER BRÜCKNER, Claudia Luxbacher, T. 49 711 5000 77 126,
Cover: Scenography – Staging the Space. Published by Birkhäuser
Glance into the book: 'Expedition Titanic' milestone
Glance into the book: 'Grand Egyptian Museum' project
Glance into the book: Theory on the 'Object'
Partner ATELIER BRÜCKNER. Photographer: Reiner Pfisterer