Merzbau Installation, at Dada Exhibition
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2005-2006
Area:  896 sq ft/ 85 sq m

The Dada Exhibition showcased 500 works of art, and had six capital cities as the exhibition’s framework. One of the highlights was the Hannover room and Kurt Schwitters’ Merzbau installation. The original installation was destroyed during an Allied bombing raid in World War II. There was only one photo, from one perspective view to guide the design process. The task was not to copy Schwitters’ piece, but to create something that could resemble the original work. 

The process began with the full-scale mural image of the original installation being set in place, in order to inspire the design of shapes that would spread out into the entry of the room. Study hand sketches illustrated how to display the geometric forms and also guided the overall process to happen in layers. In this case, computer modeling gave space to the construction of a full-scale concept mock-up, with pieces being made out of cardboard and displayed in place. Working with the gallery’s team of carpenters, masons and painters, the cardboard shapes were then replaced with plywood ones. The pieces were painted off-white, but some of the volumes received a grey color coat from a broader gradient scale, adding depth to the installation. Speakers - strategically installed inside some of the pieces - played nonsense DADA poetry, enriching the visitor’s experience.

The floor design, with its geometric system displayed like a puzzle, carried a similar subject throughout the room. Luciana Varkulja presented the idea to directors and curators, and it was soon accepted. The system was designed around 6 plywood shapes, which were reversible and thus provided 12 different pieces. They were put together on the Hannover room’s floor, creating a unique space in which installation, floor and ceiling featured seemingly random shapes.