Art in Architecture in Reinickendorf

In Reinickendorf, the construction projects of Berlin's school building initiative and sustainable renewal programme have led to a revival and new visibility of art in architecture. Three competitions were already completed in 2024. More will follow, as the public sector is obliged to consider contemporary forms of artistic design in the context of infrastructure projects. Art in architecture is financed according to a fixed formula out of funds for new public buildings, construction, and landscaping. These funds can only be used for art in architecture. Competition procedures ensure a transparent process.

The art in architecture process in Reinickendorf was launched in 2023 after the Department of Art and History, as the authorised body, received six requests to implement this obligation within a few weeks. The demand for conducting competitions was consequently high, but the usual structures for conducting competitions were no longer in place due to the low level of construction activity in the district in previous years.

In the following months, important foundations were laid in close cooperation with the District Coordination Office (BeKo), which supports school construction, and with support at the state and municipal levels. These included a procedural proposal and draft rules of procedure for a expert commission in Reinickendorf, which were developed in collaboration with the Office for Art in Public Space in the Kulturwerk of the bbk berlin GmbH.

The result was a competition procedure that was quite complex due to the large number of participants involved, with the aim of making the best possible artistic and technical decision for the art in architecture project. With numerous intermediate steps, art in architecture can also be seen as a joint task for a wide variety of departments within the district, without which its implementation would not be possible.

As part of the first three competition procedures, 14 artists and collectives were invited to develop designs for the extension buildings of the Ringelnatz Primary School, the Charlie Chaplin Primary School and the Mark Twain Primary School: Salwa Aleryani, Andrea Böning, Johannes Büttner, Reinhard Doubrawa, Esra Ersen, Esther Ernst, KUNSTrePUBLIK, Marina Naprushkina, Dorothea Nold, Azar Pajuhandé, David Smithson, Sounds of Silence, Andrea Stahl, Franziska Wicke and Jadranko Barišić.

The winners of the three competitions were the following projects:

Salwa Aleryani designed ‘Zeit finden’ (Finding Time), an interactive sundial for the schoolyard of Ringelnatz Primary School, where an extension is being built by NEMESIS Architects. The multicoloured floor mosaic will be laid using traditional paving techniques. When a person stands on the field for the current month, their shadow will show the current solar time at any time of the year. In addition to the time markings, motifs from nature and games which will be developed in a workshop with the pupils are also planned. Furthermore, a second workshop with the Planetarium Berlin Foundation will provide insights into how our solar system works. The jury was primarily impressed by the successful combination of art and science as well as the participatory nature of the project.

For the Charlie Chaplin School, another NEMESIS Architects design, the Sound of Silence collective (Petra Eichler and Susanne Kessler) created ‘Modern Times ... wie tickt die Zeit’ (Modern Times ... how time ticks). High up on a long mast, the new school clock is displayed in its central location between the old and new buildings. Its appearance refers in detail to the school's namesake: the second hand as an abstract walking stick and the striped seat pedestal with pole are reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin's role as a convict in ‘The Adventurer’. The clock's function does not quite correspond to the norm, as towards the end of the breaks the hands suddenly take on a life of their own, dancing and playing crazy before jumping back into their correct position. The clock thus shows that time is relative and that individuality arises when we deviate from the usual norm.

Azar Pajuhandé designed ‘Hands Full of Wonders’ for the new cafeteria building at Mark Twain Primary School by BSK Architects. Five three-dimensional wall artworks made from layered woodcuts show the fun of cooking and the beauty and growth of food. The compositions are inspired by the fairy tale ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. Accordingly, various legumes are used for the illustrations, as they are widely used in cuisines around the world. Several variations in the preparation of different dishes are highlighted and the growth of a seed throughout the changing seasons is shown. Hands prepare the food or tend to the plants.

These three art in architecture projects for Reinickendorf are currently in realisation. The artistic designs are intended to create an identity-forming connection to the school as a living place of learning and exchange. For children, art in architecture at school is often their first encounter with art at all. Far removed from museums, the works touch on everyday school life and at the same time enable different perspectives on the function of architecture and shared space. They are elements of structural culture that help shape the idea of a building. This engagement does not take place in the protective space of cultural institutions, but is freely accessible – a cultural achievement from which school communities will benefit.