Dan Graham

For Skulptur Projekte in Münster 1987 Dan Graham had an octagonal pavilion which was mirrored on all sides built in the palace gardens. The work was based on the bandstand with the same form that was built in 1929 in the park behind the palace. Oktogon für Münster (Octagon for Münster) is an allusion to the tradition of the so-called pleasure pavilion that since the baroque had become a standard feature of any laid-out park or palace grounds as a venue for social gatherings and festivities.¹

The choice of materials for the outer walls was not in line with this tradition. With the two-way mirrored glass Graham was making a reference to the façade of a nearby bank office building to the south of the palace park. The reflections of the park setting captured in the mirrors of the Oktogon für Münster’s outer façade spawned new vistas of landscape, while at the same time virtually dissolving its architecture.

The absence of windows represented a further departure from conventional forms and functions of the pavilion. Just one side serving as a hinged door enabled visitors to step into the edifice. Whereas people inside pavilions are usually exposed to the gaze of passers-by, here the reflective material of the walls completely shielded visitors from view. Similarly, from the inside the two-way mirrored glass afforded only a distorted view of the outer world.

Ronja Primke

¹ Dan Graham, “Projekt: Oktogon für Münster”, in: Klaus Bußmann and Kaspar König (eds.), Skulptur Projekte in Münster 1987, exhib. cat. Westfalisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kuturgeschichte, Münster, Cologne, 1987, 105–107.