Der Tank

The exhibition space of the Campus der Künste on the Dreispitz in Basel is called TANK. A glass cubes located in the center of the campus, the Institutes of the Academy of Design and Art FHNW with institutions such as the HeK (House of Electronic Arts), the Atelier Mondial (exchange and studio program of the Christoph Merian Foundation) or Radio X, an independent radio station.

Why he is called TANK is simply explained: The institute team has chosen a fish, the salmon, as a mascot or, more precisely, as emblem. The reason for this is obvious. Apparently, the Rhine - the river that originates not far from Basel and is a landmark of the city - used to be the largest in Europe. About a hundred years ago there were millions of salmon (salmo salar) in the Rhine and its tributaries up to the Swiss Alps. The salmon spawned in fresh spring water and then migrated towards the open sea near Greenland, and then, after a few years, returned to their birthplace in the mountain streams for reproduction. Only since 1991 do they do this again and after stormy centuries of cultural and industrial change,

Our tank also serves hospitality, a form of art which is quite different from traditional project rooms, institutional art exhibitions or galleries. Such a tank on an artificial campus offers an opportunity to discuss in a new and different way how practices can create today a place that is designed to reflect reflexively the conceptions of technology, life, material and community. This space is dedicated to art projects, which we call The Commissions. Apart from such installations in the narrower artistic sense, the Institute of Art will fill the space with a series of artistic stimuli, with a selected group of students working together with guest artists. These "exercises" form the material basis for a debate that deals with ideas such as the inherent intelligence of the material or uniqueness. Craftsmanship. In addition, projects by students and results from workshops and seminars are part of the TANK program, which we call The Students' Kingdom and The Exhibited Classroom. 
 
However, the TANK is not just a physical space, one can visit and enter on the Campus of the Arts. Since we are aware of how many artists realize works that can be viewed online or are specifically designed for the Internet, TANK is also a digital art space. Two projects have already been launched on our website. sites A series of advanced interactive Google maps and new landscapes on Google Earth 3D by Esther Hunziker. The artist, like the artist Jeronimo Voss, teaches at the institute, which has shown Fanfares of Effective Freedom in TANK's virtual exhibition series.