In Modulor I Nadia Kaabi-Linke traces the dimensions of prison cells that are used for solitary confinement in various institutions worldwide. Upon entering the exhibition space visitors immediately become part of the installation, to find themselves, without being conscious of it, within the imaginary cells. The title of the work is a direct reference to Le Corbusier’s Modulor and his idea of the rationalization of a given space and its optimal form. The overlapping lines, which depict the dimensions of the cells, create an abstract and geometric spatial drawing. Both the narrow architecture of the exhibition space and the blocked view to the outside further point to the living conditions of the prisoners. By referencing the locations of the respective prisons, the installation offers an overview of the different detainment conditions and poignantly visualizes the architecture of the confinement.
— Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath
