Moritz Riesenbeck
Moritz Riesenbeck
Moritz Riesenbeck

Necrosis – Insomnia, 2023

Built in 1893, the Ulmer Höh’ prison in Düsseldorf-Derendorf was demolished in 2017, with only the chapel remaining. The building and its history are characterised by many events that took on tragic intensity, particularly before and during the Second World War. In future, this building will be converted into luxury flats and offices and will form part of an overall ensemble that is being promoted by major investors as a neighbourhood as “lifestyle and centre of life”.
Necrosis - Insomnia brings a residential capsule of the Nakagin Capsule Tower from Tokyo to this location. The design, which is over 50 years old, was the first capsule architecture to be built and dates back to Japan’s post-war period, which was characterised by a cultural boom. After its tragic demolition in 2022, I faithfully recreated a capsule whose floor plan resembles a single cell in this prison. This decontextualised capsule is located in the old cell wing of the prison chapel, which has also been decontextualised.
The capsule is accessible and equipped with a video- and sound- installation. A camera is positioned in the dark outside area and films the interior of the capsule through the iconic round window. This creates an image section reminiscent of the peephole of a prison door. The record player inside plays a prepared record with the track “Insomnia” in a loop - “I can’t get no sleep”.This gathering thematises sleeplessness and surveillance in a place that has lived through these issues itself. The capsule points to another culture in which a similar spatial configuration was a built visionary social utopia whose potential stands in contrast to the future of the Ulmer Höh’.

The staging Necrosis – Insomnia was developed for the exhibition The Dreams are still the same by Empty Spaces e.V curated by Mara Sporn in the old chapel Ulmer Höh‘, Düsseldorf-Derendorf from 04 – 07.05.2023.

Moritz Riesenbeck
Moritz Riesenbeck
Moritz Riesenbeck
Moritz Riesenbeck
Moritz Riesenbeck

location:
51°15’01.6”N 6°46’58.3”E

material:
wood, blockboard, chipboard, window, 3D-print, louver, carpet, turntable, vinyl, tape, installation lamp, loudspeaker, mediaplayer, camera, monitor

supported by: 
Empty Spaces e.V., Verein Ausstellungshaus für christliche Kunst e.V.

photos: 
Kai Werner Schmidt

Moritz Riesenbeck

Necrosis – Insomnia, 2023

Built in 1893, the Ulmer Höh’ prison in Düsseldorf-Derendorf was demolished in 2017, with only the chapel remaining. The building and its history are characterised by many events that took on tragic intensity, particularly before and during the Second World War. In future, this building will be converted into luxury flats and offices and will form part of an overall ensemble that is being promoted by major investors as a neighbourhood as “lifestyle and centre of life”.
Necrosis - Insomnia brings a residential capsule of the Nakagin Capsule Tower from Tokyo to this location. The design, which is over 50 years old, was the first capsule architecture to be built and dates back to Japan’s post-war period, which was characterised by a cultural boom. After its tragic demolition in 2022, I faithfully recreated a capsule whose floor plan resembles a single cell in this prison. This decontextualised capsule is located in the old cell wing of the prison chapel, which has also been decontextualised.
The capsule is accessible and equipped with a video- and sound- installation. A camera is positioned in the dark outside area and films the interior of the capsule through the iconic round window. This creates an image section reminiscent of the peephole of a prison door. The record player inside plays a prepared record with the track “Insomnia” in a loop - “I can’t get no sleep”.This gathering thematises sleeplessness and surveillance in a place that has lived through these issues itself. The capsule points to another culture in which a similar spatial configuration was a built visionary social utopia whose potential stands in contrast to the future of the Ulmer Höh’.

The staging Necrosis – Insomnia was developed for the exhibition The Dreams are still the same by Empty Spaces e.V curated by Mara Sporn in the old chapel Ulmer Höh‘, Düsseldorf-Derendorf from 04 – 07.05.2023.

Moritz Riesenbeck
Moritz Riesenbeck
Moritz Riesenbeck
Moritz Riesenbeck
Moritz Riesenbeck

location:
51°15’01.6”N 6°46’58.3”E

material:
wood, blockboard, chipboard, window, 3D-print, louver, carpet, turntable, vinyl, tape, installation lamp, loudspeaker, mediaplayer, camera, monitor

supported by: 
Empty Spaces e.V., Verein Ausstellungshaus für christliche Kunst e.V.

photos: 
Kai Werner Schmidt