carsten höller’s hotel room installation stimulates targeted dreams at fondation beyeler

Fondation Beyeler and LUMA present summer show for 2024

During Art Basel 2024, the Fondation Beyeler in partnership with the LUMA Foundation, present a summer show conceived as a ‘living organism’ in continual metamorphosis, transforming the entire museum and its surrounding park into an experimental presentation of contemporary art. The exhibition titled Dance with Daemons, features a variety of renowned names including Belgian artist Carsten Höller who has collaborated with scientist Adam Haar Horowitz to compose a dream hotel room. Dream Hotel Room 1: Dreaming of Flying with Flying Fly Agarics (2024), made in collaboration with scientist Adam Haar Horowitz, comprises a bed that rocks participants into sleep and a rotating mushroom replica designed to stimulate targeted dream content.

a robotic dream bed by Carsten Höller and Adam Haar Horowitz

The robotic Dream Bed by Carsten Höller and Adam Haar Horowitz at Fondation Beyeler (find more here) is designed to enhance and interact with the sleep and dream experiences of its users. Equipped with sensors embedded in the mattress, it monitors the sleeper’s heart rate, breathing, and movements to detect various sleep stages and the intensity of dreams. Although these physiological readings are not recorded, they are used to synchronize the bed’s movements with the sleeper’s current sleep phase. As part of the immersive experience, a redly gleaming reproduction of a mushroom rotates above the bed, creating a visually stimulating environment as the visitor falls asleep and wakes up. This combination of sensory inputs aims to enrich the dream experience.

During the exhibition, the Dream Bed is part of the Dream Hotel Room, where visitors have the opportunity to sleep in the bed and engage with the artwork on a deeply personal level. Additionally, once a week, from Friday to Saturday, it is possible to spend an entire night in the Dream Bed, allowing for an extended and potentially more profound interaction with the piece.

A Living Organism: Transforming the Fondation Beyeler

For the first time in the 25-year history of Fondation Beyeler, the entire museum and its surrounding park are transformed into the site of an experimental exhibition of contemporary art. Organized by the Fondation Beyeler in collaboration with the LUMA Foundation, the exhibition brings together works by 30 participants from varied backgrounds and disciplines. Among them Federico Campagna, Marlene Dumas, Frida Escobedo, Carsten Höller with Adam Haar, Pierre Huyghe, and many more.

The exhibition is conceived as a living organism, constantly changing and evolving. Participants, who include artists, poets, architects, musicians, composers, philosophers, and scientists, were invited to contribute their ideas and perspectives at every phase of the exhibition’s development—from conception and elaboration to production and presentation. This collaborative approach has led to a dynamic and multifaceted experience, transforming not only the gallery spaces but also ancillary areas such as the ticket desk, cloakroom, shop, winter garden, terrasses, and park. Visitors to the exhibition can rediscover the museum’s spaces in novel and unexpected ways and explore previously unfamiliar areas. The experience within any given space will vary over time, with different activities such as exhibition displays, social interactions, performances, concerts, poetry readings, talks, and community events overlapping.

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project info: 

name: Dance with Daemons
location: Fondation Beyeler| @fondationbeyeler
dates: May 19th – August 11th, 2024