Developing an understanding of our universe is implied through a variety of exhibitions which enrich the perspective of one’s situational condition and theoretical (or actual) footprint. Museum Insel Hombroich accomplishes this task with striking effect and through the most modest of means. The museum, which houses a collection of contemporary and world art, leaves the viewer with an altered perception of the relationship between individual civilised establishment and nature, suitable for its motto Kunst parallel zur Natur —art parallel with nature (based on the words of Cézanne). Established by Karl-Heinrich Müller and first opened for viewing in 1987, Museum Insel Hombroich is built around an unconventional museum plan, sitting on over 62 acres of land and islands outside Neuss. The collection is scattered throughout the property with some pieces placed in the landscape, while others are housed in a series of pavilions designed by Erwin Heerich. The visitor freely ambles along a path between pavilion, forest, field and all the spaces between. This format places Khmer sculptures from the Angkor Thom and works by Alexander Calder beside nature itself as an artefact on exhibit. Being confronted by this natural element after every piece of art, one studies the surroundings more intensely than usual, and must recognise their grandeur.
Two elements (pictured on the previous pages and opposite, top) can most efficiently express this effect here. The first is the entrance, or approach to the pavilions, which is repeated throughout the program. The pavilions, but for a few rare exceptions, are invisible until the visitor is directly upon them. Hidden by a turn in the path, a cluster of trees or a wall of hedge, the built structures submit to, rather than attempt to overpower, the natural presence. Thus wide vistas spread before the visitor like baroque paintings, where nothing of a formal museum is visible. The clearest example of this is the pavilion in the Labyrinth. This simple cube is circled by a tall hedge creating a continuous, narrow pathway between the two, successfully disorienting the visitor, as each turn presents the same brick wall, the same towering green wall. At these moments, where a natural form echoes that of the built, nature asserts herself as an undeniably impressive force. The second significant moment is in the Schnecke (snail) pavilion. At the centre of this pavilion is a small triangular courtyard – the only moment in the entire museum when the visitor finds him/herself outside, but with none of the natural landscape visible. The courtyard has a single door, leading into a core of glass walls, which, in combination with the interior blinds, reflect the viewer and the courtyard infinitely. This one space where built form has clear superiority is where it is repeated infinitely and with the exclusion of the natural landscape. The proportions of this space, with walls about six metres tall, confine the visitor while the endless reflections create a continuous, larger space. Similar to the corridor of the Labyrinth, this space disorients the viewer, but in a sublime and unnatural way. The artefacts on display throughout the museum, as well as the pavilions themselves, form a beautiful and extremely impressive collection, however the power and magic of the museum comes through the experience of it, and the juxtaposition of the structured museum with a pond of reeds, or an orchard of trees. ~
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On Site review 20: archives and museums
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