One up, one down – excentric

This kinetic sculpture was unveiled in 1988 for the official opening of the new Landtag. Located in the small park in front of the building, two pointy spear-like rods are mounted on a T-shaped construction made of steel beams. One of the spears is attached close to the support structure, while the other one is connected to the “T” by another long rod. The wind can set the spears in motion, swinging and swaying without ever touching each other. As described in the title, one of the arms swings upward and the other downward, with both rotating around the point where they are mounted to sculpture. Sometimes, the spear-like “arms” are suspended in space and seem almost weightless. Inspired by Alexander Calder’s mobiles, American artist George Warren Rickey developed sculptures in the mid-1940s that were set in motion by the wind and gravity – i.e., without the help of a motor. “None of my works,” Rickey explains, “represents even the slightest attempt to reproduce or imitate nature, let alone interpret or reveal it. I study and use movements permitted by the laws of nature to the extent that my understanding and technical knowledge allow.”

Original German text: Stefanie Ippendorf