Under the title In Transition. Das Dreilinden Proje k t Castringius presents a dramaturgical re-reading of the autobahn rest stop DREILINDEN.
Castringius’ art installation in the circular first-floor section of the venue directly references its architecture, drawing explicitly on the existing structures, and combining them with fictitious elements and protagonists.
The DREILINDEN rest stop lies close to the Allied border crossing point Checkpoint Bravo, also known as the Drewitz-Dreilinden border crossing. Until 1989, anyone wishing to leave West Berlin to travel to West Germany was obliged to transit East German territory. This invariably involved lengthy periods waiting in line at border crossings, and intensive searches of people, luggage, and vehicles.
Architect Rainer Gerhard Rümmler designed the rest stop as a striking example of 1970s Pop architecture. The red, yellow and blue circular and cylindrical elements of the Dreilinden complex stood in marked contrast not only to typical rest stop architecture but also, quite provocatively, to the bleak gloom of East German border installations.
The rest stop has remained vacant for several years, exposed to vandalism and the caprices of nature. Now under new ownership, it is soon to be upgraded, and converted among other things for use as an American diner.
Castringius grasps this in-between moment as an opportunity to explore the atmospheric site. In her photographs one finds isolated figures waiting in deserted landscapes or abandoned rooms. In her film it is the artist herself one sees traversing the ghostly location.
In her paintings she references the venue’s formal idiom, and uses its original color scheme as the basis for abstract works with finely nuanced shades and surfaces.
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Eva Castringius | In Transition. Das Dreilinden Projekt.
Saturday, October 23 from 3pm to 9pm, followed by DJ sets
Sunday, October 24 from 11am to 8pm.
DREILINDEN, the former rest stop (service station)
Potsdamer Chaussee 61a, 14129 Berlin-Nikolassee
Directions: THE REST STOP IS NOT DIRECTLY ACCESSIBLE FROM HIGHWAY A115 (the “AVUS”). Please take Exit 1 for Steglitz, which leads to Potsdamer Chaussee. There, make a U-turn, drive back to the first set of lights then take a left for ZOLLAMT DREILINDEN. A small road leads to the rest stop. Public Transport: Take S-Bahn 1 or 7 to Wannsee.
