Designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron, who were also responsible for London’s Tate Modern, the Schaulager is home to the Emanuel Hoffman Foundation’s collection of contemporary art - a unique collection covering the work of over 150 artists. Although parts of the collection have previously been on display at both the Basel Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Schaulager will, for the first time, allow the entire collection to be gathered under one roof. Combining the roles of museum, climate-controlled storage space and public exhibition venue, the polygonal-shaped building is intended to be both practical and unique.
The Unitek screens form an integral part of the striking architecture of the Schaulager building, as Heidi Naef, curator of the museum explains: "The building is designed to exhibit the collection within an open-storage rather than museum context. The building itself has no windows, and so the screens will be used to portray both the exhibits and the events taking place within the building. We will also use the screens to promote forthcoming exhibitions and as an artistic medium in their own right."
Unitek supplied a total of 98 of its V9 screen modules to create two 7 x 7 format screens, each measuring 46sq.m The company supplied the complete system on a turnkey basis, including the mechanical integration of the screens into the fabric of the building. It also supplied a powerful video processing and control system which includes comprehensive editing and graphics/text origination capability. This will allow the museum staff and artists to create, store and schedule material for play-out on the two screens. The Schaulager opens to the public on 25 May with an exhibition of the work of Dieter Roth.
(Ruth Rossington)
