Infrastructure is omnipresent, but may stay invisible. When it becomes visible it can appear monumental. And monuments are often a result of a series of infrastructural processes like construction, financing, religion or nationalism. But both are, in an obvious way, a manifestation of power. The project aims to destabilize these power structures by shifting and moving objects in between monument and infrastructure.
The spatial expansion of the Cologne Cathedral starts in the surrounding carpark, which, considering the timescale of the cathedral’s existence and the disappearing of cars in inner-cities, will be freed from its original use soon. Half storage, half church, the carpark’s existence takes on new meaning.
The way one moves through the cathedral and its extension buildings – non-static, but slow – is transforming constantly. The walk from north to south is a counter movement to the liturgical east-west orientation. The sight field of vision when lying on a bench instead of sitting upright towards the choir. Eating a warm soup instead of bread and wine. Moving objects in and out, up, and down, according to their uses and the rituals taking place around them. These are movements of resistance and of rituals are and can be seen as movements of monuments and infrastructures.
