feelings-based curating: The Feuerle Collection
It is difficult to think of a place in Berlin more atmospheric than The Feuerle Collection - a concrete, former World War Two telecommunications bunker located on the Hallesches riverside. The collection hosts international contemporary artists, juxtaposed with Imperial Chinese furniture and ancient Southeast Asian art. These pieces have all been selected and juxtaposed by the museum’s founder, Désiré Feuerle. He is known to be a pioneer in juxtaposing antiques with contemporary art, as well as a one-of-a-kind connoisseur of Asian art.
From the very beginning, it is impossible not to notice the atmosphere, the feeling, that this transformed bunker stirs within the visitors. It is irreproducible and poses a challenge behind writing about this inimitable collection. When speaking to Mr. Feuerle, the word “feeling” came up a lot of the time. The said “feeling”, experienced within the collection is an integral quality of the museum. It can not be communicated through photographs or writing. After speaking with Mr. Feuerle, it would be impossible to only report on what the collection is like, when the gallery opened its doors to the public, etc, but rather it is essential, to write about how is it, that the masterful juxtapositions, lighting, sound, smell, create an unimaginable atmosphere, so clearly present at the Feuerle Collection.
Désiré Feuerle inside The Feuerle Collection. In the background: AdornedBuddha Protected by Naga, Khmer,Bayon Style, 13th century, polychromewood. On the right: Vishnu, Khmer,Banteai Srei Style, 10th century. Photo:def image ©The Feuerle Collection
Before continuing, I suggest to all the readers to close their eyes, take ten deep breaths, and continue with the description in the following passage:
You gave up your phone and entered a completely dark room. You cannot see anything, and it's almost completely quiet. It has a grounding effect. It brings you to the here and now. Your mind begins to empty, and the silence is hardly broken by a subtle ringing of a John Cage piece. It seems to be exactly what you want to hear at that moment. You walk slowly towards the light and you enter the Collection. There are no labels, the sculptures are dimly lit, and your gaze begins to wander. The group of people you entered with are barely making a sound, they are all absorbed into their own personal journey through the collection.
The experiential opportunity of the audience is elevated by the first entrance into the gallery, the sound room.
We asked Désiré Feuerle how he went about selecting the opening, and only sound piece for the collection. It took several continuous tries to find the right piece for this experience. Delicately chosen, he said that he kept going through this experience himself. Going into the sound room, listening to a song, and then entering the collection. The determining factor here was feeling. He went with the feeling he wanted to create and the mindset that would allow people to leave everything behind, and enter the collection in a state that would let them see, and experience the collection better.
DF: “The room was an existing room. But also the entrance would have not been there. I thought it's important to concentrate the people's minds in a small space and start with music, bringing them really from the street where they entered from, to the present moment. “
The collection does not have any labels or notes. Désiré Feuerle does not attempt to teach anyone anything.
“I want to grab and work with the feelings of the viewer. It is the main thing I want to achieve, I am not interested in teaching people” what is important to the museum founder is bringing the audience to the here and now.
def image ©The Feuerle Collection
It took four years from designing to construction to prepare the museum. The architect, John Pawson played a huge role in making the vision come to reality.
FL: How did you go about selecting the building for displaying your collection?
DF: I was looking inside and outside of Europe to find the right space. And in every place I visited, it was really dependent on how you entered the town. If you entered by train or you flew. it's very important to always enter. Because you need to understand the feeling. These little things are very important to consider, and it is a part of the introduction to another world. To the world of the exhibition. So it took a lot of tries and visits to find the right place.
FL: How about selecting the architect?
DF: “Well, this also was a journey. Let's say, I had a lot of different architects in my head. And I thought the most important thing is, to visit all of them. Because when you sit at a table, and you talk, you can learn a lot more about a person. It's kind of, like a marriage. It's very intense. So you have to know if the relationship can work or not. Another problem with selecting the architect was that many of them saw the building as too strong. They felt as if they could not put their own statement on top of it. There were many architects from Switzerland to the States from London to Tokyo. When I met with John Pawson, I could feel his trust. When he came and looked at the building he was silent. And he is someone, who could express respect to the building.”
Many of the architects thought the building is too strong to put their mark on it, which is not something that Désiré wanted to begin with. Instead, he was looking to find a way in which he could convert the old spirit into something that you don't even think about when you enter. Something that just feels right. Transforming the telecommunications bunker into an exhibition site does not mean fighting it. It means working with it, which was accomplished beautifully, with help of British architect John Pawson.
photo ©def_image
Genius Loci
In classic Roman mythology, “genius loci” was considered to be an actual spirit of the place. In present terms, we often use genius loci to describe the unique atmosphere of the place. This transformed bunker has a very present, distinctive atmosphere. Although, places that are stripped of their former function and disconnected from the past in this way can be challenging to transform. Often the visitors do feel this inexplicable state of absence. However, not here. Pawson managed to deal with the site’s history without making such adjustments that would be fighting the spirit of the place, instead, he managed to find a natural continuation of the existing soul of the building, which was to serve as home to the unique juxtaposition of ancient southeastern art and contemporary artists. He managed to do this, using the light of a hand as possible. The walls still have stains and residue on them. The idea of the old and new juxtaposed, run through the stunningly textured concrete walls of the museum itself, which is housing a collection playing with the same contrast.
John Pawson: “It is difficult to think of places more charged with atmosphere than these monumental concrete structures. They fall very much into the category of ‘engineers’ architecture that so appealed to Donald Judd. I knew from the beginning when I visited the site and first had that visceral experience of mass that I wanted to use as light a hand as possible. Concentrating all the effort on making pristine surfaces would never have felt appropriate here. Instead, this has been a slow, considered process—a series of subtle refinements and interventions that intensify the quality of the space, so that all the attention focuses on the art.”
With the help of John Pawson, the spatial framework of the collection was set up and visual distractions were eliminated.
Aura
A term coined by Walter Benjamin in his influential essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. It refers to the quality of an artwork, that cannot be communicated through the means of mechanical reproduction techniques - such as photography. The aura is the unique presence of the artwork in its context; i.e. Time and space.
Again, when speaking with Désiré Feuerle, the subject of “feeling” came up in almost every answer to Farrago Letter’s questions. And rightfully so, as every glance, you throw at a piece of sculpture, a photograph or architectural detail of the collection comes with its energetic charge. The lighting plays a big part in this effect.
DF: “When you have a big open space, like the one we have, it's crucial to give every piece the respect, that you can really see it, but also, it's very important to create something like an ensemble, like an orchestra. So that the whole thing works together”
Upon entering the space through the sound room, there is no direct way or path of exploring the collection. There is no guide either. A staff member is present with the visitors, in case they want to ask questions. This gives the visitor an ability to explore the collection in their own, individual way. Like listening to an orchestra.
The spatial relationships between the photographs, objects, and space are what creates this irreproducible aura. And every artwork that is on display seems to have a life of its own, its own story, that can never be retold the same way. They can be arranged in an infinite amount of ways, and experienced in many ways. Endless possibilities, the collection is a living, breathing one, that moves the visitor to the core.
DF: “There are so many museums, and so many private museums lately, but only very few museums moved me. And I thought, when opening, it has to be the thing, which grabs and works with feelings. This is a central thought behind the Feuerle Collection.”
def image ©The Feuerle Collection
Juxtaposing:
In the composition of an artwork or an arrangement of an exhibition, juxtaposition is the placing of entities side by side, trusting the viewer to think and feel about it all, independently; this is often done to compare and contrast certain elements which might lead to entirely unfamiliar opinions and emotions. This technique of presenting art gives a spectator, as a subject, a far more active role: he is no longer a distant observer, but rather he is a participant of the show itself.
A Japanese photographer and a contemporary artist are primarily known to the west for strikingly merging eroticism and bondage. Thereby, comprehending his images with ancient masterpieces is truly a memorable experience.
At first glance, polarity seems excessively dramatic but the longer you observe, the better you grasp the substantial eroticism and intimacy each artwork carries.
For instance, a softly carved 17th century Imperial Chinese chair from the Early Qing dynasty finds itself standing in front of Araki’s photograph (‘Diary Tokyo’, 1981-1995) that depicts four hands holding external female genitalia. Now you might wonder: ‘what has one got to do with another?’ and that is the whole point. For Feuerle, this collection is a whole new entity with its own energy that makes you feel something.
Araki was unable to see how his photographs have been juxtaposed by Désiré Feuerle, however, he saw pictures.
“When I showed Araki the photographs, and even before that, when I just explained the project to him, he liked it very much. Looks very nice, he said, you know, he was just happy, and I could feel that he was happy about what I did. And he understood it and you feel when people really support you completely, it is amazing”
Araki titled one of his series after ‘Erotos’, of course, not unintentionally. The majority of the moments that he has caught on camera are loaded with sexual desire, lust, need, and often aggression. It can even be stated that somehow his visual stories go along with the Freudian dual-instinct theory of Eros and Thanatos. Defining or visualizing life as a constant tension between one’s drive of life, love, sexuality, and that of violence, destruction, and death. Apparently, Araki considered Eros to be a fundamental force for his own art, as he once said ‘Taking photos is erotic’. However, Thanatos still managed to make an appearance.
Installation view of The Feuerle CollectionSide Table With Everted Ends, Early Qing Dynasty, China, 17th century, elm wood with Nobuyoshi Araki, LOVE BY LEICA,2006/2015,gelatin silver print.In the back: Scholar Lohan Bed, Quing Dynasty, China, 17th century, jichi wood. Photo: def image © The Feuerle Collection
In a way, writing about The Feuerle Collection is a failed attempt in itself, to express something that needs to be felt and experienced. We tried to explain to you why you should try to visit this bunker, but even if you were to visit it after reading this, you would never be able to reproduce the same trajectory, the same aura. Which is what makes it so unique.
When we visit an exhibition of contemporary art, the only thing that truly remains with us, especially in a highly competitive art world, is the memory of the emotions we experience when navigating through space. Especially if this organisation is unusual and unique.
Visits to The Feuerle Collection must be booked in advance via the website. Due to the pandemic, there are often changes in regulations. For the latest updates, visit the official website.
In addition, you can use this link to donate to the museum. https://www.thefeuerlecollection.org/en/donate/
