Cumulus

At the Lippstadt Stadttheater, a stylized cumulous cloud hovers above the canal on a narrow steel arm. The arm itself doesn’t move, but the cloud at the end can rotate on its own axis. In this way, the wind subtly changes the object’s position and contours, displaying a new variation of its shape with each movement. Similar to hatching in a sketch, the cloud is depicted through horizontal contour lines.
The sculpture is made out of 27 horizontally stacked Plexiglas discs with neon contours. Aside from the crossbar, all of the materials are transparent, colorless, and reflective. Depending on the sun and weather, the cloud either has a metallic glow or it dissipates like fog over the water. At night it shimmers ice blue.
Cumulus successfully draws connections to the neighboring artworks and adds to the spatial, artistic, and thematic structure of the Lichtpromenade. Specific examples of artworks with hidden connections include: Das Ergreifen / Grasping by Johannes Jäger with its echoing gesture, just as the cloud balances on a steel hand; the floating text by Gunda Förster (Schwimmen – Fliegen – Schweigen / Swim – Fly – Remain Silent) as a thematic reference point; Offermann’s Weg der Schiffer / The Way of the Mariner and its play with signals and functional light; and Gereon Lepper’s Nachtflug / Night Flight as an object hovering above the water, bringing together nature and technology.
The neon cloud functions as a candelabra in front of the theater, as a light signal and a greeting gesture at one of the old Lippstadt city entrances, as mobile over the water, and as a figment of the imagination or a futuristic thought bubble. Cumulus is an eye catching and poetic focal point in one of the most prominent locations in the city, and contains a variety of meanings.

Original German text by: Dirk Raulf (curator)

Additional information: www.lippstadt.de/kultur/kultur/Lichtpromenade.php