SMAQ: BAD (BATH) – infrastructural leisure equipment

The long-desired wish of numerous fellows, employees and visitors to the palace grounds is finally about to come true: in summer 2006, swimming is allowed in the Solitude palace gardens!

BAD (BATH) is an architectural screen, a usable sculpture. It is based on a 1,000-meter garden hose, which, connected to a hydrant, can carry enough water to fill a bathtub. Arranged in countless loops, the elastic hose forms the surface of a screen that catches the sun, thus heating the water in the hose. BAD (BATH) plays with ways of inhabiting and interpreting the urbanized landscape, based on infrastructural realities and leisure conventions. In the process it exploits a normal summer energy generation practice, transforming the material characteristics of the required infrastructure into decorative architecture.

SMAQ (Berlin/Rotterdam), founded by the architects Sabine Müller and Andreas Quednau, is a studio for architecture, urbanism and research (www.smaq.net). Sabine Müller was an Akademie fellow in 2001, with Andreas Quednau following her example in 2004/2005.

The installation runs until September 17, weather permitting.

In cooperation with the architectural gallery at Weißenhof.

With the generous support of Höss Design, REHAU and Thermopal GmbH.