Der Zauberlehrling / The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Projects by the art collective Inges Idee are appreciated for their underlying but direct sense of humor, the obvious pleasure they take in ideas, and their perfect technical execution. As part of Emscherkunst 2013, the group designed a sculpture for the region that was shaped by industry and largely impacted by structural change: an electrical tower that dances to the beat of its own drum. Within sight of his more well-behaved kinsmen – who remain dedicated to their service in rank and file – he has moved to an open field and performs his unfettered and lively dance on a large stage.
He gets by without any external power supply, as his own life energy seems to feed him. If it was the broom that refused to obey in Goethe’s ballad, then it’s an electrical tower that takes on anthropomorphic traits and an independent existence in this updated version. Although one may indulge the charming tower its freedom, the sculpture also contains a more serious message: as technology grows more widespread, new problems could come with it.