The Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and completed in 1968, stands as a masterpiece of modern architecture. This iconic building, characterized by its steel and glass pavilion structure, is a testament to the formal purity and structural clarity typical of Mies van der Rohe’s work.
Recently (2015), the Neue Nationalgalerie has hosted a unique installation by British architect David Chipperfield. This installation, consisting of tree logs placed within the exhibition space, offers a critical reflection on the relationship between nature and architecture. Chipperfield, known for his rigorous and context-sensitive approach, uses natural elements to create a dialogue with the clean lines and formal rigor of Mies van der Rohe’s building.
The choice of logs is not random. They represent a visual and conceptual contrast with the built environment, introducing a temporal and organic dimension into a space otherwise dominated by geometry and order. This juxtaposition invites visitors to reflect on the fragility and transience of nature compared to the stability and permanence of modern architecture.
David Chipperfield’s installation in the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin represents a moment of reflection and dialogue between past and present, built and natural, permanence and transience. This intervention offers a unique opportunity to rediscover and reinterpret one of modernism’s most iconic buildings through a contemporary lens.
