A pet peeve of contemporary art is to use darkened space to rob its viewers of all familiar points of reference. In the "white cube" of the museum, the "black box" appears like a magic space teaching viewers to see and hear things anew, forcing them to perceive that which is offered in full concentration; thus, the darkened space becomes the space of an existential experience. In addition the darkened - and so in reality non-existent - room constitutes a paradox allowing for complex interpretations. A concise introduction to the phenomenon, history and present manifestation of the paramater black space, this book also features essays by renowned art historians about the significance of the darkroom in photography, film and video art as well as its role as a peculiar space in both museum and psyche. Exemplary installations by artists like Gary Hill, Tatsuo Miyajima, Louise Bourgeois and Olafur Eliasson are analyzed in full detail. The discussion of the art spaces touches on related complexes of ideas such as Plato's cave simile, chaos theory or epistomology, as well as anthropological aspects. This compendium presents for the first time both an extensive and fascinating discussion of the phenomenon "Black Box". Exhibition Schedule: Kunstmuseum Bern 15.6.-9.9.2001