In this sculpture, a representation of the monotonous, modular façade of the Neues Kreuzberger Zentrum (NKZ) is transformed into a folded surface of potentially endless transformation. While the sculpture uses a radical deformation to achieve a sophisticated spatial composition, the two-dimensional nature of the façade is expressed by its construction of painted plywood mounted on a steel frame support. The thin façade is expressed with an elegant playfulness: the work consists of two inverse structures: identical shapes that are made with skin and structure reversed. 
Pfahler exposes the poorly conceived composition and materiality of the NKZ building by disregarding its existing spatial status. By treating the façade as a foldable plane, as if it were a sheet of paper or a handkerchief, a particular spatial and ideological freedom is achieved. Shifting its elemental nature from that of a curtain wall to a compressive structure, Pfahler displaces the flat plate into space, which by implication would have disastrous effects on this already much maligned edifice. The unattractive ornamental tile pattern of the façade is represented by a thick layer of paint, while its regular pattern is disrupted by the diagonal lines of the folds. A sense of neglect is produced by leaving off some of the tile pattern and exposing the bare plywood underneath, as if the tiles have fallen off.  The actual NKZ building was completed in 1974 as part of an ill-fated development scheme and stands today as a symbol of failed and corrupt planning. But, even more than a cultural critique, this piece concentrates a series of existential revelations about built space. 
Overall, the sculpture employs a provocative translation of a typical spatial condition that, because it targets an iconic failure of public housing, triggers a cascade of undefined sentiments around the basic relationships between body, community, and space. The twisted structure reveals a highly refined formal strategy that deconstructs the NKZ in a sensual, profound, and yet playful way.  

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Collapsed Structure (Kottbusser Tor)
Plywood, metal, enamel, 2006
350 x 400 x 90 cm