Two Immersive Artworks in Germany

The Parthenon of Books, considered one of the highlights of Documenta 14 in Kassel, is a scale replica of the famous Acropolis in Athens, but built from scaffolding and books wrapped in plastic. Argentinian artist Marta Minujiín originally created the work in 1983, when her country's military junta fell; the thousands of books in that installation were those banned by the dictatorship. Likewise, the iteration at Documenta 14 consists of as many as 100,000 formerly or currently banned books donated by people from all over the world. The installation is on display until 17 September 2017.

For Skulptur Projekte Münster 2017, French artist Pierre Huyghe turned a former ice rink in Münster into a hilly excavated landscape of clay, concrete, gravel, sand, and water. Although it looks sculpted, the installation is constantly changing, due in part to the interactions of visitors but also through such elements as the automated openings in the roof that admit rain. The form of the sculptural landscape – aka a "time-based bio-technical system" – is based on a 3D puzzle used in IQ tests, while the control of the space's interior climate is determined by the growth of HeLa cells. The installation is on display until 1 October 2017.