The BMW Guggenheim Lab is rethinking which neighborhood it will land in when it comes to Berlin this spring, and the calculations behind the move are fascinating to guess at. From May 24 to July 29, the mobile think tank will now be located in an 8,400 square meter (2.07 acre) empty lot across from the Artitude Kunstverein on Kreuzberg’s Cuvrystrasse in Kreuzberg, instead of it . Previously, the lab’s “traveling toolbox” designed by Japan’s Atelier Bow-Wow was slated for the Pfefferberg complex, a multi-purpose venue in Prenzlauerberg, near its border with Mitte, in Prenzlauer Berg.
The announcement cited the Kreuzberg neighborhood’s “engagement with social action and public art” as the main reason for the move. Political engagement is Berlin’s exhibition trend du jour, as evidenced by other major events on this year’s cultural calendar, such as the Berlin Biennale. The move, then, may be a means of gaining further traction in a city where major corporate sponsors tend to arouse suspicion. Already the buzz about the Lab on the ground has become more conciliatory ("Oh, they get us.")
While Prenzlauer Berg was once known for its artistic activities, the district has evolved (or devolved depending on who you ask) into a sort of yuppie paradise, replete with children’s cafés, boutiques, and ladies who lunch. On the other hand, though Kreuzberg has certainly seen its fair share of gentrification — rents in both neighborhoods have become largely comparable — it has maintained its May 1 rioting and artist squatting heritage as a central feature of its contemporary cultural fabric.
The Guggenheim Lab’s Berlin programming features four main series: “Empowerment Technologies,” “Dynamic Connections,” “Urban Micro-Lens,” and “SENSEable City,” each developed by one of the Berlin edition’s team members: José Gómez-Márquez, Carlo Ratti, Corinne Rose, and Rachel Smith. Together, they will focus on a different aspect of making urban environments work for their inhabitants in both individual and collective capacities while maintaining a focus on sustainability.