Jewish Museum of Berlin:

Architecture provides the site for this exploration of the relationship between museums and performance, which focuses on the Jewish Museum of Berlin. Between 1999 and 2001 the Jewish Museum operated solely as a venue for architectural tours. Rather than housing static objects it became a location where the experiential body on the move was central to its existence. This was particularly apparent in June 1999 when the Sasha Waltz Dance Company performed ‘Dialogue ’99 II’ within the museum as a response to, and exploration of, the provocative and haunting interior architecture of Daniel Libeskind. This paper examines the interiority of the museum as a performative site activated by dancing and spectatorial bodies. It posits that its ‘emptiness’ held a greater plenitude for memorialising, constituting a radical moment for museum architecture.