Rheinorange / Rhine Orange

This rectangular sculpture looks more like a monochrome orange field of color than a solid object. It seems to hover above the water at Rheinkilometer 780 (780 km from the source of the Rhine), which is the point where the Ruhr and the Rhine flow together. Incorporated as part of the work, the water’s reflection contributes to the sculpture’s immaterial appearance.

The towering landmark can be seen as a starting point for a number of Lutz Fritsch’s sculptures, which are reminiscent of the markers used in land surveying. With later works mainly appearing in the form of round stelae, his sculptures rethink and structure rural and urban spaces, offering the viewer new approaches to perception and orientation.

Further reading:

Public Art Ruhr. Die Metropole Ruhr und die Kunst im öffentlichen Raum. Eds. Walter Smerling and Ferdinand Ulrich on behalf of the RuhrKunstMuseen, Cologne 2012, ISBN 978-3-8632-134-0, pp. 50–51.