Hymnus (Fankurve) is a composition developed and recorded by composer and artist Ari Benjamin Meyers in collaboration with highly devoted fans of the Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach. At the heart of the project are the chants sung in the stadium and the diverse groups of fans who gather in the so-called Nordkurve (“Northern curve”) of the stands, the designated area for the team’s supporters. Meyers isolates the commanding energy of this massive sonic force—capable of moving entire stadium crowds—and shifts it to iconic locations throughout the city: from beautiful and identity-shaping sites, such as the Kaiser-Friedrich-Halle and Bökelberg, to abandoned and overlooked places, like the ruins of Haus Westland or the old police headquarters.
Recordings of these fan chants at various sites have been integrated into an installation that will be on view at Museum Abteiberg from January 19. The installation includes both important fan songs (e.g. Borussenlied, Die Seele brennt, Es gibt nur eine Borussia) as well as a new 11-tone hymn, Die MG Elf, which Meyers composed especially for Mönchengladbach. The music will also be available beyond the duration of the exhibition via QR codes at the sites where they were performed and recorded. With photographs by Anna Tiessen and texts by Evan Hugo Tepest, sound: Heiner Kunkel, video: Linus Kaufhold.
PROGRAM (guided tours / Borussia fans can enjoy guided tours of the exhibition free of charge. A membership card, season ticket, or fan merchandise such as scarves, jerseys, or jackets will be accepted as proof of fan status.)
Sunday, January 26, 11.30 am
with Kai Welf Hoyme
Sunday, February 2, 11.30 am & 2.30 pm: Guided tours as part of First Sunday
with Corinna Greven
Sunday, February 9, 11.30 am
with Lilith Bitzer
Sunday, February 16, 11.30 am
Curatorial tour with Gian Marco Hölk
Thursday, February 20, 5.30 pm & 7 pm
with Alke Heykes
Sunday, February 23
Curatorial tours with Susanne Titz, Gian Marco Hölk & Alke Heykes
EXHIBITION-BROSCHURE
(Download)
ARI BENJAMIN MEYERS. KUNSTHALLE FOR MUSIC in Mönchengladbach, Act III was realized with the support of Borussia Mönchengladbach and funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Kunststiftung NRW, the Foundation of Art, Culture, and Social Affairs of the Sparda-Bank West, the Hans Fries Foundation, and the Museumsverein Abteiberg.
Fig.: Ari Benjamin Meyers. Hymnus (Fankurve), Kunsthalle for Music in Mönchengladbach, Act III, 2024, photo: Anna Tiessen