palace/

The Palace of Projects is a building devoted to the housing of sixty-five "projects" conceived by the artists Ilya and Emilia Kabakov. The building is constructed from a light wooden framework with semi-transparent stretched plastic fabric functioning as walls and ceilings. The Palace is lit from the inside, giving the impression of a "Chinese Lantern" from the outside. The structure is formed in the natural shape of a snail's shell, with the entry room to the palace much larger than the exit, which results in a focus achieved by the end of the your journey through it.

The projects contained within were created from 1995-1998, although several of them had been exhibited separately as completed projects beforehand. The projects within the palace are of an unfinished nature. The Kabakovs' intention for the viewer is to sit down within the Palace and examine descriptions and mock-ups of the proposed projects, in order to slow the experience of the projects and provoke thought and reflection, contrary to the typically quick pace of museum viewing.

The Palace was commissioned by Artangel and Reina Sofia of Madrid and was first exhibited in London's historic Round House, which was converted from a train turning house into a theatre and music venue in the 1960s. It has also been shown in the Crystal Palace in Madrid, Manchester, and at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York. It now resides in the former salt store of the Zollverein cooking plant in Essen, Germany, a building renowned as an example of industrial architecture.

palace/projects

  1. How Can One Change Oneself
  2. Return To Happiness
  3. A Room Taking Off In Flight
  4. Encounters With The Past
  5. To Feel Miserable
  6. What Else Can Be Said About This
  7. A Story About Little White Men
  8. Trust Of Others
  9. A Low Flight Above The Earth
  10. Looking Upward
  11. Concentration In The Closet
  12. Treament With Memories
  13. Night Journey
  14. My Favorite Book
  15. Punishment Of Household Objects
  16. Encounter With An Angel
  17. To Escape From Oneself
  18. Projects For Long Term Endeavors
  19. My Book Of Projects
  20. Sitting On A Pot
  21. The Corner Of Projects
  22. In Addition To Everything Real
  23. A Device For The Arrival Of Guests
  24. Paradise Under The Ceiling
  25. I Sleep In The Garden
  26. Everything Important Is Always On The Right
  27. The Equal Distribution Of Energy
  28. Information Via The Noosphere
  29. It Is Impossible To Live On This Earth!
  30. Street Choral Performances
  31. The World As One Big Family
  32. Radical Historical Re-Partitioning Of A Country
  33. A Common Language With The Trees, Rocks, Beasts
  34. Open-Air Toilets
  35. Resurrection Of All The Dead
  36. Night Lighting Of A City Or Region
  37. The Earth In A Different Topographical system
  38. Non-Transport
  39. Suite Of World Music
  40. The Revealed Structure Of The Air Environment
  41. Great White Pillars
  42. City Palace Of The Future
  43. Closets Of Solitude
  44. A White Cloud-Ball
  45. The Optimal Plan For A Prison
  46. Images Of A Cosmic Bottle
  47. A Vehicle For Universal Movement
  48. The Continous Polarization Of Two Energies
  49. Project To Leave A Monument Of Oneself
  50. Art Of The Future
  51. Cloud Management
  52. The Digging Of Canals Throughout The Entire Country
  53. Irradiation With Positivity And Optimism
  54. Control Over The External World
  55. Vibrators On The Wall (on collectivism)
  56. A Universal System For Depicting Everything
  57. Generator Of Ideas
  58. There Are No Such Things As Unsuccessful Projects
  59. A Box For Completing Projects
  60. Plan Of My Life
  61. A Begun Painting
  62. Project Horse On The Stairs
  63. A Door On The Ceiling
  64. White Paper
  65. A New Teapot