Architecture A Evidence
Exhibition, CCA, Montreal, Canada.
Presented is a set of materials gathered during a forensic analysis of the architecture of Auschwitz. Plaster casts of blueprints, letters, invoices from contractors, and photographs have been assembled. Additional to this are two reconstructed monuments – a gas column and a gas-tight hatch. All together, it’s tangible evidence that Auschwitz was designed as an efficient system of mass murder.
In focusing on seemingly minimal architectural decisions with mortal consequences, the exhibition questions the idea of architecture as a neutral background against which different activities can unfold. The material on display is also being shown in the Central Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale.