The exhibition looks back on a two-year art project by the artist collective Observatorium, developed in response to the collapse of the Cologne City Archive. At the invitation of the Cologne city authorities, Observatorium created Panorama Waidmarkt. Located in the heart of Cologne, Waidmarkt borders the site where the Historisches Archiv der Stadt Köln collapsed into an excavation pit for a new metro line in 2009.
Panorama Waidmarkt was a temporary archive pavilion with 24 doors, situated opposite the disaster site. The pavilion served as a publicly accessible space for conversations, logbook contributions, guided tours, lectures, concerts and exhibitions.
The exhibition includes models, drawings, objects, photographic works and a book featuring contributions by invited artists Erik Bakke, Roman Mensing and Marja Zomer.
During the opening, at 17:00, there will also be a presentation of the book Zu dieser Tragödie sollen wir ein Kunstwerk machen? by Andre Dekker, with introductions by curator Kay von Keitz and art historian Regina Sasse.
The German-language book explores the impact of the archive's collapse on the collective experience of life in Cologne. It documents the design and use of the pavilion, alongside eyewitness accounts, analyses, personal archives, photographs and literary reflections, including original illustrations and contributions from well-known Cologne writers and curators.
The book reflects on anger, grief and memory, leading to discussions about administrative failures and the future of the disaster site, where restoration work continues underground.