The Salvaged Gods from the Palace of Tell Halaf

The extraordinary narrative staging of the exhibit, "The Saved Gods from the Palace of Tell Halaf," in the Pergamon Museum led visitors through the eleven chapters of the drama of Max von Oppenheim's unparalleled collection: the original discovery, the destruction, and the delayed reconstruction. Destroyed in the ’40s, the ruins had been written off for decades as a casuality of the war.

The exhibit acquainted visitors with the original presentation of the archeological discoveries in Max von Oppenheim's museum in Charlottenburg and illustrated, through a moving media display, the destruction of the basalt sculptures in the blazes of WWII. In the restoration room, the visitor experienced the staggering story of the sculptures' reconstruction from their 27,000 fragments. Entering the next room, the large Schlüter Hall of the Pergamon Museum, the visitor was then confronted with the splendid results of the reconstruction effort. The somber gray tones represented the persisting mystery surrounding the sculptures and their destruction; the investigation of which only began with the restoration process. The gold of the background and the pedestals evoked the radiance of the Kapara Palace of Tell Halaf.

Dimensions
740 m² GFA

Services
Architecture Services LPH 1-9
Artifact/Exhibit Presentation
Graphic Design
Media Design

Production Timeline
November 2011 – September 2012

Opening
September 2012

Client
Landesmuseum Hannover

Photography
neo.studio