Architecture of Memory – Recollecting Spaces.
Can you recall the spaces of your childhood? Your bedroom, a favorite hiding place, or the scent of your grandparents' kitchen? Now imagine telling these memories not just with words, but through a drawing: which spatial elements would you include? What details are essential to capturing your memory?
These are the very questions explored in Architecture of Memory, an exhibition that brings together over 50 architects and artists from across Switzerland to investigate the relationship between memory, space, and drawing.
The exhibition space is structured around a galvanized steel framework, forming an enfilade of rooms, each dedicated to a distinct theme of memory: in nature, in the holiday home, in the childhood home, in the city, in the workshop. This structure recalls traditional drywall partitions, but resulting in an unfinished space, much like memories that remain elusive and fragmented. The exhibited works punctuate the framework like small “windows” onto walls that do not truly exist, offering fleeting glimpses into a blurred past. Each module measures 2.10 x 2.10 m, with openings designed for visitor movement. The rooms are connected using L-shaped profiles, allowing them to stabilize each other without the need for diagonal bracing. This modular system can be reconfigured for different exhibition spaces, ensuring the installation remains in a continuous dialogue with its surroundings.
At Architekturforum Zürich, where the exhibition premiered, the space was structured into two parallel lines, each forming a sequence of four rooms, resulting in a total of eight spaces dedicated to different thematic memories. Visitors are free to navigate through the exhibition, not only via the designated 90 cm openings but also through the 65 cm gaps between the structures. The layout encourages intuitive and personal exploration, allowing memories and fascinations to guide the experience.
The graphic contributions are attached with magnets to a galvanized steel sheet, suspended from the frame with 1 mm steel cables and additional magnets. Objects are placed on galvanized steel shelves, fixed to the frame and positioned at varying heights depending on display needs.
Beyond the modular structure, the internal facades guide the visitor through different layers of interpretation:
- The east wall introduces the exhibition, presenting its concept and themes.
+The north wall features the video installation «Collective Memories», where fragments of stories come together in a shared narrative.
+The west wall, titled «The Memories Continue...», invites visitors to contribute their own memories by drawing their personal Architecture of Memory and attaching them to magnetic strips, expanding the evolving archive.
+The showcase at the entrance displays the names of all participants, highlighting the collective nature of the project.
A continuous green line, painted in situ by curator and artist Sonja Elisabeth Fuchs, serves as a visual leitmotif, weaving through the exhibition space. It guides visitors from the exterior into the heart of the installation, connecting the works displayed on the walls with those suspended within the steel framework, just as memories overlap, connect, and evolve over time.
WITH MEMORIES OF: Adrien Comte, Adrien Meuwly, Alan Hasoo, Andrea Deplazes, Andreas Bründler, Barbara Hennig Marques, Bob Gysin, Camille Trechot, Carlos Viladoms, Carmen Lorente Sangros, Charlotte Truwant, Christian Inderbitzin, Daniel Zamarbide, Daniele Marques, Daniela Keiser, David Palussiere, Dominique Salathé, Dries Rodet, Emanuel Christ, Francesco Buzzi, Gregory Tara Hari, Guillaume Henry, Guillaume Yersin, Heinrich Toews, Ioannis Piertzovanis, Irene Naef, Ivo Barão, Jürg Conzett, Leonid Slonimskiy, Lilitt Bollinger, Livia Gnos, Liz Kueneke, Logan Amont, Marcia Akermann, Maria Zgraggen, Mariana Santana, Marie-Aude Papin, Mirko Akermann, Monika Feucht, Peter Roesch, Quintus Miller, Ralph Blättler, Raphael Kadid, Roger Boltshauser, Rolf Winnewisser, Ron Edelaar, Shadi Rahbaran, Simon Frommenwiler, Simon Hartmann, Stefan Koepfli, Stefan Wülser, Thibaud Sulliger, Thomas Lussi, Tilo Herlach, Tivadar Puskas, Valentin Deschenaux.
