Concept: Dr Heinz Stahlhut, Director of the Hans Erni Museum, in cooperation with Michael Haefliger, Director of the Lucerne Festival

In March 2011, the region off the Japanese Pacific coast was shaken by a severe earthquake, which in turn triggered a tsunami. This caused enormous destruction in an area of 500 km2 and claimed more than 20,000 lives.
In response to this disaster, the British-Indian artist Sir Anish Kapoor and the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki joined forces on the initiative of Michael Haefliger, the artistic director of the Lucerne Festival, to develop a mobile concert hall. The aim was to use music to help support the population in the devastated regions. After several performances of the concert hall in Japan, it was set up and played for 11 days at the Lucerne Festival in 2025 on the Lucerne Lido meadow in the immediate vicinity of the Swiss Museum of Transport and the Hans Erni Museum.

At the same time, and after the Ark Nova had been dismantled, an exhibition was on display at the Hans Erni Museum until 12 October 2025, illustrating the genesis and use of this unique building, which oscillates between architecture and sculpture.

With models and documents, photographs and films, the conceptual and technical development of the temporary event architecture is made comprehensible for visitors and the deliberately diverse and low-threshold cultural use is illustrated. Guided tours and talks in the exhibition also explore the topic in greater depth. An accompanying publication sheds light on various aspects of this extraordinary concert hall.

Caption: Ark Nova during her stay in Tokyo Midtown District, Tokyo 2017, © 2025 Werke Anish Kapoor, ProLitteris, Zurich; © Werke Arata Isozaki, Estate Arata Isozaki; © Photo: Geoffroy Schied, Munich