Dialog im Stillen / Dialogue in Silence

Japanese artist Yuji Takeoka’s multi-part work is both sculptural and functional. It blends into the space between the new economics building and the main entrance to the Universität Paderborn like a square in a square. There are benches at either end of the 12 by 6 meter rectangle. In front of them, bamboo grows from concrete buckets that are embedded in the ground. The work is distinguished from the surrounding pavement by its light grey floor slabs. Varying bronze elements with a blue-green patina are placed in different locations along ground. With their minimalist appearance, they could be seen as figures from an imaginary board game or as architectural segments. At the same time, they serve a functional purpose as places to sit. Takeoka often brings together eastern and western influences in his art. The minimalist formal language and highly aesthetic and haptic materials used here are characteristic of his work. The result is a “place of silence,” a “spiritual resting place” that invites both exchange and contemplation.

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