'AND/AS, HERE, PLACE, SET, THE, THEN' by Peter Downsbrough at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion

The pavilion, an iconic symbol of the modernist movement, has been exhaustively studied and interpreted, and has inspired several generations of architects. It was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) as the German national pavilion for the 1929 Barcelona World Fair. Built from glass, steel and different kinds of marble, the Pavilion was conceived to accommodate the official reception presided over by King Alfonso XIII of Spain along with the German authorities. In 1980 Oriol Bohigas, as head of the Urban Planning Department at Barcelona City Council, set a restoration project in motion, designating architects Ignasi de Solà-Morales, Cristian Cirici and Fernando Ramos to research, design and supervise the reconstruction of the Pavilion.

The pavilion is now set to host AND / AS, HERE, PLACE, SET, THE, THEN by Peter Downsbrough. As the pavilion management point out, this intervention was conceived of specifically for the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, though it may have the appearance of a fortuitous action. It consists of seven words in stainless steel that have been discreetly inserted into the pavilion structure and which invite the spectator to make a personal reading of the space that hosts them. The seven words chosen by Peter Downsbrough —verbs, adverbs and prepositions— interact subtly with the constructive logic and spatial freedom of the pavilion.

'AND/AS, HERE, PLACE, SET, THE, THEN' by Peter Downsbrough

When: Until 24 April.
Where: Mies van de Rohe Pavilion.
Price: €5.
Additional information is available here.