Bushaltestelle / Bus Stop

Per Kirkeby makes reference to his brick sculptures at Schlossplatz with this Bus Stop, which was constructed ten years later out of the same red-blue brick and within sight of the same public space. This functional structure separates a local school (formerly Freiherr-vom-Stein-Gymnasium, now Paul-Gerhardt-Realschule) from the street with a brick wall. It also includes a covered shelter, which serves as a waiting room for students and other travelers at the bus stop. Kirkeby had initially been pursuing another idea for a functional public sculpture with Small Market Hall for Bicycles, but the project was rejected in late 1996 by the city planning authorities. In turn, he designed this 50-meter-long wall construction with projecting and recessed modules. There is a niche in the middle that forms a three-sided brick structure with a wooden pent roof. The roof is laid in five segments over a thin steel frame. On the schoolyard side, there are open niches that are topped with a pergola. These spaces provide seating on benches, which are supported by additional projecting sections of brickwork. Despite its functionality, the Bus Stop retains sculptural qualities and shows the artists own constructively reduced formal language.

Reference:

www.skulptur-projekte.de