VerhandelBar—unter Einschluss der Öffentlichkeit

The project VerhandelBar—unter Einschluss der Öffentlichkeit, a cooperation between ARCH+, JustizzentrumErhalten/ AbbrechenAbbrechen, and PointofNoReturn at the invitation of Public Art München, understands itself as a social sculpture. As such, it follows in the tradition of an expanded concept of art that understands art as a place where social practices are modeled and ideas are prefigured and reflected upon. The projects centers around civil society’s agency in promoting sustainability and social involvement. After all, the ecologically damaging and speculative treatment of our built environment is a public matter which, by its very nature, must be negotiable: The construction industry is one of the key contributors to the climate crisis. At the same time, many metropolitan areas lack affordable space for housing and culture. The project VerhandelBar counters this twofold challenge by showing the social and ecological potential that lies in the conversion and continued use of existing buildings.

Using the demolition-threatened Criminal Justice Center on Nymphenburger Straße in Munich as well as the efforts by the activist group JustizzentrumErhalten/ AbbrechenAbbrechen to preserve and reuse it as a case study, civil society is called upon to imagine a new future for the complex after its current function ceases at the end of 2025. The brutalist building ensemble, completed in 1977, with its 54,000 square meters of floor space, is understood as an exemplary solution to pressing issues such as the housing shortage and the climate crisis. The existing urban building stock offers an opportunity to reorganize existing space, an alternative to developing the countryside and excessive densification.

The project’s core is an artistic-architectural intervention in Munich’s public space, the VerhandelBar, which, as a space for public negotiation, invites people to discuss demolition and vacancy as an ecological and social problem. Through a growing exhibition, the VerhandelBar explores stories of appropriation and potentials for conversion in Munich. Mapping walks, which aim to identify the extent of vacancy, and performative-discursive events provide the foundational knowledge. Every Thursday, the artist collective Tam Tam hosts a bar. The VerhandelBar regularly provides space to local civil society groups.

Running time: July 18–October 17, 2024
Location: Sandstraße 47a, 80335 Munich
Admission: free

Grand opening: Thursday, July 18, 2024, 6pm, VerhandelBar: Sandstraße 47a, 80335 Munich / Mapping walks: July 23, 2024 Sendling, Munich; August 2, 2024 Sendling, Munich; August 23, 2024 Westend, Munich; September 16, 2024 Westend, Munich / DonnerstagsBar: every Thursday, VerhandelBar, Sandstraße 47a, 80335 Munich / Guided tour: July 25, 2024, 6pm and on request, VerhandelBar, Sandstraße 47a, 80335 Munich.

More events will be announced at: verhandel-bar.de.

Artistic direction: ARCH+: Christian Hiller, Daniel Kuhnert, Alex Nehmer, Anh-Linh Ngo; JustizzentrumErhalten/ AbbrechenAbbrechen: Jakob Bahret, Laura Bruns, Jan Fries, Robert Philipps, Antonia Prohammer, Nikola Schiemann, Maria Schlüter, Leila Unland, Lena Willimek, Sabrina Witzlau; PointOfNoReturn: Nick Förster, Jonas Pauli, Matteo Pelagatti, Sophie Ramm, Niclas Reinke, Nikola Schiemann, Maria Schlüter, Janina Sieber, Leila Unland

Additional partner: Hans Sauer Stiftung. Public relations: stadtstattstrand, Laura Bruns, Julia Klink, Fabian Gruber; ARCH+: Barbara Schindler.

Graphic design: Paul Voggenreiter. Web: Lana Wahlström. Campaign pictures: © Fritz Bielmeier, Christian Illing, Anna-Maria Mayerhofer. Bar: Tam Tam.

VerhandelBar—unter Einschluss der Öffentlichkeit is a project by ARCH+ in cooperation with JustizzentrumErhalten/ AbbrechenAbbrechen and PointOfNoReturn. It is part of the international, invitational art competition Public Art München in the SOLO segment, funded by the Department of Arts and Culture of the City of Munich.