A conversation with Ulrich Müller

You can't put architecture on display? Ulrich Müller, owner of the Architektur Galerie Berlin, has been doing just that for a decade now, showing exhibitions from contemporary architectural firms specially designed for his gallery space. With the SATELLIT extension at the start of the year, he also operates an additional space for new project formats. FSB spoke with him about his role as a catalyst, the world capital for architectural debate and why an exhibition should not just be a repeat of what you can find online.

Andreas Ruby, the new director of the Swiss Architecture Museum, came in with the statement, ‘You can’t put architecture on display.’ How do you make a display out of architecture?

The idea is not new – of course you can’t put architecture on display, but that’s not the point.

It sounds a little like moaning, saying it like that, where really there is a humongous opportunity here to develop your own formats! Buildings might not be able to be moved, but there are so many different facets of architecture that can be thematised in exhibitions, aspects like proportion, material, construction or the creative process. A historic exhibition with drawings from Schinkel is naturally different from an exhibition about Jürgen Mayer H.

Are there certain characteristics that make an architectural exhibition a success?

Exhibitions should offer artefacts with insights and experiences. Exhibitions about contemporary architecture today convey completely different content than those from 10 or 20 years ago; back then it was essentially about information, which these days you can just get from other sources. An exhibition must not be just a repeat of what you can find online. It’s much more about finding a format that cannot be reproduced on the internet. That’s why every exhibition is an entirely new project, a new challenge. In the gallery it's about the atmospheric transformation of a space and presenting the subject matter in a new, unmistakeable way.

How do you incorporate yourself into the creative process?

My role is that of the catalyst. The architects who show their work here usually make two or three suggestions, and we discuss the implementation together. Every firm has themes they want to touch on or research points they want to present that fall outside of the everyday routine of practice. I myself am an architect, and this is the experience I bring to the discussion, rather than what an art curator would, for example. Many architects would get as far into the abstract and drama of their exhibitions without this dialogue.

Can you give us a concrete example of this?

The New York firm OBRA is showing at my gallery right now. The exhibition is based on the architects’ sketchbooks from over the years. But we aren't showing individually framed sketches or books; instead we mounted collages of countless pages onto large Plexiglas panels so you can consider the backs of the pages as well. The three wooden ‘easel’ frames hanging from the ceiling are also the result of a sort of dialogue with the gallery space. The smell of linseed oil hits you as you enter the room, the easels are arranged to take advantage of the big windows to the street to full dramatic effect. It’s very atmospheric. A piece of architecture was created that I would say is exactly a reflection of OBRA. The monographic exhibition is itself an independent reflection of the construction and at the same time a continuation of the architecture using other means.

You studied architecture and even worked as an architect. What made you decide to exhibit architecture rather than designing it yourself?

I just wanted to learn more about architecture. In the beginning it was about sharing knowledge and experience with the colleagues who were crucial to my architectural socialisation. I used the gallery to start the conversation with them. I still think being an architect is the most exciting profession there is. It’s a privilege to create buildings that last 50, 80 or 100 years. By contrast exhibitions are sadly short-lived.

What drives you?

Architecture has to become stronger. I see the gallery as an opportunity to bring architectural quality to the public. I invite architects to Berlin who I think are important for the city, and the exhibition sparks discussion and brings insights. The ones I show here are the best. In addition to my own intellectual enrichment, I’m able to use my work to make the world a bit of a better place. Even if non-architects pass by the windows and do not necessarily understand the exhibitions to the same in-depth degree, they still learn, at least, that architecture is a topic that you have to think about more.

Last year you were invited to speak at Harvard and Columbia University about your work. How do you see the development of the Architektur Galerie Berlin in an international context?

The gallery has become a platform with international reach. I get requests from around the world, and it’s surely because of the location: Berlin is a hot spot for the architectural scene. We are lucky to have a wide spectrum of places here where architecture can be discussed in a way unlike anywhere else. My ‘AEX Architecture Exhibitions International’ website gives it visibility: while New York has maximum five or ten places for architectural debate, Berlin has at least 20. Berlin is, so to speak, the ‘world capital’ of architectural debate.

You’ve had a new project space since January 2016. What is the idea behind it?

With SATELLIT I want to provide a platform for things that cannot fit in the gallery, either physically or contextually. The project space extends the gallery, with its relatively static format of monographic exhibitions, into an open platform that serves as a place for debate. There will be four exhibitions this year in cooperation with students and universities – including the Harvard Graduate School of Design – but also book readings and talks like the FSB ‘Deutschlandreise’ series, which introduces young architects who are worth being discovered.

How important is it to have sponsors and patrons like FSB?

It wouldn’t happen without discerning companies with a culture that embraces the practice of supporting architecture at a high level. It’s important for the collaboration to have overlaps between the personal and the topical, in order to bring your own ideas of architectural quality to the people. When that happens, it’s a wonderful alliance.

You would have loved to become a musician as well, and you still make music in your free time. Have you considered having a rock concert in the project space yet?

Oh, definitely! In the very early days I even had a concert in the gallery once – not rock music, but experimental electronic music. But only three or four people came. That doesn’t mean that there can't be another concert or the like in future. I’m already sitting on an idea for a show called ‘Klangreflektor’.