The art-in-architecture project »Don't Be a Barracks Rat« focuses on the history and transformation of the interim venue Altes Kino Franklin of the Nationaltheater Mannheim (NTM). Built as part of the former US military site Benjamin Franklin Village, the former cinema was converted into a venue for drama and dance after the withdrawel of the US troops and is now a cultural institution in the new, civilian district Franklin.

The artistic design includes the wall surfaces in the theatre café, the cloakroom and the foyer as well as the furnishings, the orientation system and the lighting. The main concept deals with the transformation from military to civilian use. Military symbols, forms and aesthetics are taken up and subjected to a transformation in terms of colour, form and use.

This is reflected, among other things, in the light, whose shape is derived from anti-tank obstacles and refers to the tank battalion formerly stationed in Mannheim, as well as in the orientation system, which takes up the signage of the US military base. The wall surfaces and some of the furniture are covered with colourful camouflage patterns, sometimes in spots and sometimes all over. The shapes are taken from the cartographic outlines of the former Mannheim military sites and the colours refer to the cooperative design of the NTM´s venues. The original function of camouflage is transformed and the colourful presence creates a place that attracts attention and represents the theatre as a diverse cultural venue.

together with Sven Bergelt