'Kraftwerk - The Catalogue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8', an eight-day residency at Tate Modern's Turbine Hall, has definitely been the most coveted ticket of the year. The gallery's website famously faltered and failed to cope with demand when those tickets first went on sale last year.
And the first shows - as the title suggests, the electro pioneers are working through their back catalogue one album at a time - seem to have justified the frenzy. Each performance is served up with extra dollops of crowd-pleasing favourites as well as 3D projections and animations.
But as the national media in the UK go Kraftwerk crazy - The Guardian is reviewing every one of the eight shows - we like to think we were in on this particular act very early. Kraftwerk's Ralf Hütter was one of the guest editors - along with artist Christian Marclay - of our October 2011 'Sound and Vision' issue. He created a spectacular 3D portfolio of exclusive images tied in to key Kraftwerk compositions, images now looming large at Tate Modern. The iPad version of that issue, offering the soundtrack to the images, was essentially a teaser for the shows.
Being the generous sorts that we are, we thought we would we reprint the section and hand it out - 3D specs included - to all those lucky enough to have secured tickets. The limited edition commemorative supplement is also available to buy for the nice round number of £10 only.
The Kraftwerk cover of the issue (and that extra special free treat), a 3D portrait of Hütter in robot mode shot by photographer Peter Boettcher, was nominated for Cover of the Year in the PPA Awards 2012. Boettcher is now shooting Kraftwerk's Tate Modern shows and providing exclusive shots just for us.
The electro pioneers are working through their back catalogue one album a night - including Radio-Activity (1975) - during their eight-day residency at the Tate
Kraftwerk perform The Man-Machine (1978).
'Neon Licht' from The Man-Machine (1978).
Each performance is served up with extra doses of crowd-pleasing favourites, as well as 3D projections and animations
The sold-out sessions at the Tate run until 14 February
Being the generous sorts that we are, we have reprinted Ralf Hütter's guest-edited section of our October 2011 issue - fronted by the Peter Boettcher-shot portrait of him in 3D robot form (specs included) - to all those lucky enough to have secured tickets
Hütter created a spectacular 3D portfolio of exclusive images tied in to key Kraftwerk compositions for Wallpaper*, images now looming large at Tate Modern
The limited-edition commemorative supplement is also available to buy for £10. Email us to place your order
The images are accompanied by tributes to Kraftwerk genius by the likes of artist Andreas Gursky and auctioneer Simon de Pury. The supplement is a taster of the October 2011 multi-sensory Sound + Vision issue of Wallpaper*, guest-edited by Kraftwerk, as well as Golden Lion winner Christian Marclay
For the fully interactive Kraftwerk experience, as well as Marclay's Manga Scroll, in sound and vision, download the Wallpaper* October 2011 iPad edition from the App store
-
Add a pop of colour to your wrist this season with these bold watchesBrightly coloured watches, from Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe and more, are just the thing for the winter season
-
At its academy, Prada sets an agenda for the future: ‘Technology cannot replace the ability to work with your hands’Wallpaper* takes a trip to the Prada Group Academy in Scandicci, Tuscany, where Prada CEO Andrea Guerra and CMO Lorenzo Bertelli outline the future of Italian craft on the institution’s 25th anniversary
-
Nadia Lee Cohen distils a distant American memory into an unflinching new photo book‘Holy Ohio’ documents the British photographer and filmmaker’s personal journey as she reconnects with distant family and her earliest American memories
-
‘Nigerian Modernism’ at Tate Modern: how a nation rewrote the rules of artAt Tate Modern, ‘Nigerian Modernism’ redefines what we mean by modern art. Tracing a half-century of creative resistance, the landmark exhibition celebrates Nigeria’s artists as pioneers of form, freedom and cultural imagination.
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAnother week, another flurry of events, opening and excursions showcasing the best of culture and entertainment at home and abroad. Catch our editors at Scandi festivals, iconic jazz clubs, and running the length of Manhattan…
-
The Tate Modern is hosting a weekend of free events. Here's what to seeFrom 9 -12 May, check out art, attend a lecture, or get your groove on during the museum's epic Birthday Weekender
-
The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt will be shown at Tate ModernThe 42-panel quilt, which commemorates those affected by HIV and AIDS, will be displayed in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in June 2025
-
Ed Atkins confronts death at Tate BritainIn his new London exhibition, the artist prods at the limits of existence through digital and physical works, including a film starring Toby Jones
-
A major Frida Kahlo exhibition is coming to the Tate Modern next yearTate’s 2026 programme includes 'Frida: The Making of an Icon', which will trace the professional and personal life of countercultural figurehead Frida Kahlo
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellionThe new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: Tate Modern’s cultural shapeshifting takes the art prizeWe sing the praises of Tate Modern for celebrating the artists that are drawn to other worlds – watch our video, where Wallpaper’s Hannah Silver gives the backstory
