1/22/2018 Kunsthaus Graz - Wikipedia

Coordinates: 47°4′17.1″N 15°26′2.6″E

Kunsthaus Graz
The Kunsthaus Graz, Grazer Kunsthaus, or Graz Art Museum was
built as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2003 and
has since become an architectural landmark in Graz, Austria. Its exhibition
program specializes in contemporary art of the last four decades.

Contents View of the Kunsthaus Graz from

Architecture the Schlossberg
Concept
BIX Façade
References
External links

Architecture
Its unusual form differs radically from conventional exhibition contexts,
many of which maintain the traditions of the modernist "White Cube". The
team of architects used an innovative stylistic idiom, known as blob City overview from Schlossberg with
Kunsthaus in the middle
architecture within the historical ambiance of the Murvorstadt. Thus, the
gigantic building affectionately called the "Friendly Alien" by its creators
Colin Fournier as the Partner-in-Charge together with Peter Cook, in form and material, stands out consciously
against the surrounding baroque roof landscape with its red clay roofing tiles but nevertheless integrates the façade of
the 1847 iron house. It has an organic shape with a skin made of iridescent blue acrylic panels.

Concept
Architecture, design, new media, internet art, film, and photography are united under one roof. Kunsthaus Graz was
developed as an institution to stage international exhibitions of multidisciplinary, modern and contemporary art from
the 1960s to the present day. It doesn't collect, maintains no permanent exhibitions, has no permanent depot at its
disposal and no research establishments. Its exclusive purpose is to present and procure contemporary art
productions. Kunsthaus Graz implements an innovative concept, which offers various possibilities in its galleries to
fulfill the high curatorial requirements of contemporary exhibitions.

BIX Façade
The BIX Façade of the museum represents a singular fusion from architecture and New Media and is based on a
concept of the Berliner architects realities:united. BIX, a name which consists of the words "Big" and "pixels" is the
acrylic glass skin of the eastern side of the building toward the Mur and city center and represents an oversize urban
screen, which serves as an instrument for artistic productions. BIX projects accompany different exhibitions and are
not transported into the public area, also the direct environment is defined and shaped. Beyond that the
"communicating outer skin" offers also a possible drilling platform for art projects, which bring up for discussion the
dialogue between media and area. 930 40 Watt fluorescent rings are embedded in the 900 m² outer skin, with the

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illumination level of each one being steplessly variable between 0 and

100%. Each light ring functions as a pixel, which can be served by a central
computer. In this way they can be developed as roughly screened
indications, texts and film sequences, which radiate far into the urban area
and thus, the blue blister of Graz with a screen of immense size makes an
art gallery.

References
Cook, Peter & Fournier, Colin. A Friendly Alien: Ein Kunsthaus fur
Graz. Hatje Cantz Publishers. September 30, 2004. ISBN 3-7757-
1350-6

External links
(in German) Kunsthaus Graz (http://www.kunsthausgraz.at/)
(in German) The geometry of the Kunsthaus Graz (http://gernot.xarch. The Kunsthaus Graz at night
at/kunsthaus_graz/) showing the BIX media Façade
(in German) BIX Medienfassade (http://www.bix.at)

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This page was last edited on 29 September 2017, at 15:36.

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