A “nomadic architecture” installation by Jonas Klock
Private View, 27th of September 2024 6-9 pm
Presented at ACRE from 28th of September – 10th of October 2024
Outdoor inauguration at Libken e.V. 12th of October 2024
Jonas Klock is, at heart, a minimalist, inspired by brutalism and the simplest forms in life. His professional work for others – from cafés in Berlin you might know to private residences – is typically filled with surprising solutions for daily interactions we all accept as normal but are often rather unconsidered and undesigned. Klock is used to transform how we move through spaces, guiding paths and life movements in ways that function best. In a subtle effort to make less of a negative impact on the natural world, Klock turned away from raw materials like concrete, which he worked with seemingly effortlessly. To minimise the lasting impact on the rapidly deteriorating nature that he prioritizes so highly in his personal life, he’s emphasizing the use of a more sustainable material like wood, due to its natural, removable, and reusable character.
In recent years, one of his greater challenges has been the separation he feels between his work and his play – one happening in interior spaces, and one happening largely outdoors. Inspired by nature and adventuring past his personal limits, he has long intended to make his realm of inspiration an even clearer theme in his work but hadn’t gone so boldly in that direction until now. The residency at ACRE enabled him to translate the elements (design, architecture, and adventure), that create the name of his architecture studio Deture, into a spatial structure. With Beyond Shelter he realised a “nomadic architecture” installation that was on view at ACRE until the 8th of October before it was moved outdoors, presented, and inaugurated as usable shelter at Libken e.V.
During his residency at ACRE, Jonas Klock designed and crafted a functional shelter structure that is also architecturally intriguing. A small path leads to the shelter’s entrance, located at the transitional point between the wide garden at Libken and open ground. From certain perspectives, the structure appears as a monolithic wooden block; from others, the considered placement of the elements on the wide meadow creates a more formal impression of a wooden tent emerging from the field.
With a background in cycling and bike packing, he’s familiar with taking detours off the beaten track, finding one’s limits, and going at least a little beyond them as often as possible. Some years ago, he rode his bike to the “Wooden Chapel” by architect John Pawson. Spending a night at the chapel, the obvious difference between a typical forest shelter and the chapel left a strong impression on Klock. The former offers pure function, while the latter inspired to consider design, material and turned an overnighter into an aesthetic experience.
Beyond Shelter is an attempt to unify the love for design, architecture, and the outdoors. At the same time, it’s an encouragement to rethink our relationship with the natural world and its resources. It is an invitation to shared experiences and hospitality. Please feel warmly invited to visit the shelter until the end of November at Libken.e V. in Gerswalde/Uckermark. A place of thinking and cultural production in Brandenburg’s most beautiful countryside.
Photos by Stefan Haehnel https://recentlie.com/
- Residencies Jonas Klock
