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Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»

A tribune that invites to sit, stay, and reorientates the view. A sound box that tells stories of the place. Temporary vegetation which provides shade and becomes a habitat for insects and small animals.

The installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop» (Offenbach Kaleidoscope) is an attempt to take a fresh look at a specific building: the Gothaer-Haus in Offenbach am Main. The building was planned and constructed during the late 1960s and early 70s – an era whose architecture nowadays is often being rejected as ›ugly‹. At the same time, about one third of the current European building stock was built during that period, which makes an active discussion about these buildings unavoidable.

Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»

The installation was preceded by the publication «Offenbach Kaleidoskop – Geschichten eines Hauses» (Spector Books, 2022). In this book the Gothaer-Haus becomes the starting point for conversations with people who either have a personal or a professional relationship to the house. These perspectives lead beyond its reflective surface, to deconstruct the building as part of a complex network of relationships. This is an attempt not only to expand the way we look at a particular individual object, but also to more in general realign our view and to make the value of buildings visible within the complex web of histories and relationships.

Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»

And at the same time, many things are currently changing in the immediate surrounding of Gothaer-Haus: new buildings are being constructed and in the near future the large parking in front of the building is to be transformed into a public, car-free space. For the installation, six parking spaces were closed during the summer months of 2023 (in cooperation with the Office for Planning and Building of the City of Offenbach). Though that the space was not only activated for the public, but at the same time the idea of a public square was tested, in order to learn for the future transformation of the place.

Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»

Project: Installation «Offenbach Kaleidoskop»
Medium: Self initiated project
Concept and Design: ANA
In cooperation with the Office for Planning and Building of the City of Offenbach a.M.
Team ANA: Jan Engelke, Philipp Rohé, Lukas Fink, Tobias Fink
Structural Engineer: Jürgen Kurz, Engelbach+Partner
Temporary vegetation: Daniel Wiljotti Gartengestaltung
Photographs: Charlotte Schaeben / Tobias Fink
Location: Offenbach am Main, Germany
Year: 2023