Brutalism – Filmstills from horror movies

Located between the conflicting poles of utopia and grey concrete monstrosity brutalist architecture made the perfect backdrop for the early horror movies of David Cronenberg back in the '70s.
The visual research "Brutalism - Filmstills from Horror Movies" portrays the shift and decay in the perception of brutalism. And with the decay of the architectural style's reputation came the physical decay of the buildings themselves: planned in the boom time of economic growth as utopian places that combined life, leisure time and work, today they rather appear to be sinister concrete monstrosities whose utopian intent has been obscured.

For the show "Seen By #9 - Oh so solid, all that Air" Dan Dansen finalized the first part of this ongoing series: the Universum Center of Ulm in Germany. This place was planned as a work-life-utopia: shopping arcades on two ground floors, splendidly built with ample space for its passers-by, 21 floors of newly constructed apartments; a panorama restaurant on the top level. Modern living. Just a few years later little is left of this utopic vision: The building's staircase were soon transformed into a marketplace for all sorts of dodgy deals. A newly constructed bikeway turned the shopping arcade into a basement. Many of the shops folded and passers-by began to avoid the passage, especially at night. The bowling center burned down and – although it was renovated for the hefty price of two million German Mark – never again went into operation. Everyone in town knows of the Center's bad reputation: drug-related crime, fires, prostitution. This former attempt at utopian living was replaced by an underground capitalist economy. Despite this, many of its residents have strived to portray another image of the building.

UPCOMING

January 2018

Berlin
07.01.2018
Closing of the exhibition SEEN BY #9
Group show with two series of photographs by Dan Dansen: "Matalascañas - Financial crisis revisited" and "Brutalism - Filmstills from Horror Movies"
18:00 Closing
At Museum of Photography, Jebensstraße 2, Berlin
Exhibition from 27.10.2017 - 07.01.2018


October 2017

Berlin
27.10.2017
Opening of the exhibition SEEN BY #9
Group show with two series of photographs by Dan Dansen: "Matalascañas - Financial crisis revisited" and "Brutalism - Filmstills from Horror Movies"
19:00 Vernissage
At Museum of Photography, Jebensstraße 2, Berlin
Exhibition from 27.10.2017 - 07.01.2018