For ten days in October 2021, the brutalist concrete structure known as the International Congress Centre Berlin was open to the public as a unique experience of film, performance, and art. We visited the ICC Berlin on the first few days of The Sun Machine is Coming Down, a celebration of the 70th anniversary of Berliner Festspiele.
The ICC Berlin, designed by Ralf Schüler and Ursulina Schüler-Witte, looks like a weird sci-fi spaceship from afar. They are also responsible for the excellent Bierpinsel in Steglitz. The ICC Berlin dates from the 1970s. It was considered innovative architecture and a window into the future.
The ICC Berlin was a tipping point for the city since it turned the German capital into one of the most important congress cities in the world. Millions of people have flocked to the Messe Berlin fairgrounds for decades, but this massive building is dormant. This colossal venue has been closed since 2014, untouched due to problems with asbestos.
For its 70th anniversary, the Berliner Festspiele threw a party to show the city how fantastic this architectural icon is. For that, the company’s director, Thomas Oberender, and a team of curators brought the movement back into the ICC halls. Sounds, lights, plants, and people were inside the building again—just for 10 days this time, but maybe they will come back for more soon…
Named The Sun Machine is Coming Down after a 1969 song from David Bowie, Memory of a Free Festival, this exhibition wanted to present the freedom of festivals, which is an exciting topic to raise in this pandemic we live in now. The 1970s dream of the ICC became something new in this exhibition.
Inside The Sun Machine is Coming Down
Inside the exhibition, overlapping journeys invite you to explore the building and the artworks displayed. You were asked to take a trip through the structure and the art program for three and a half hours.
Once you enter the ICC, the lower foyer space lightens with colorful neon lights. They served as guidance for the congress that used to happen there. They were designed in the 1970s by light artist Frank Ohering; they were reactivated for The Sun Machine Is Coming Down.
Another element that belongs to the building is at the core of the ICC, and it could be named the brain without any problem. But its function is another one since it’s just a meeting point at the center of the building.
There were screenings of the Julia Stoschek Collection in the largest room, presenting films created between 1978 and 2018, questioning social structures and the body’s position. In another room, you could watch Berliner Festspiele’s 70-year history as it was put together and curated by Thilo Fischer.
One of the most exciting pieces we saw showed that there could be a dialogue between man and some kind of artificial intelligence. Raed Yassin and Monira Al Qadiri created three floating kinetic busts that shared stories of dreams and bizarre experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, calledSuspended Delirium.
The Sun Machine is Coming Down lasted for ten days in October 2021. It was an exciting way to encourage visitors to explore a piece of the city that had been closed to the public for years. The most fascinating thing about this exhibition was how the ICC architecture shaped the artwork being presented and how beautiful this building is.
We hope this space is used more often in the future since it seems to be used more as a backdrop for movies than anything else. It’s a pity that a gorgeous and massive complex like this is closed to the public.
The Sun Machine is Coming Down to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Berliner Festspiele at the ICC Berlin.
From 7–17 October 2021, the Berliner Festspiele will bring the long-disused International Congress Centre Berlin back to life with performances, circus arts, music, films, and installations.
berlinerfestspiele.de/en/berliner-festspiele/programm/the-sun-machine-is-coming-down/termine.html
