Röhrendickicht / Pipe Thicket

Designed as an avant-garde Gesamtkunstwerk, the Musiktheater im Revier has several works of art that are integral parts of the architecture and date back to the time of its construction. These works include Norbert Kricke’s Pipe Thicket, which can be found along the entrance facade of the Kleines Haus.

The elongated building structure is divided horizontally: the ground floor is recessed and incorporates the dark colonnades of the entrance area. Above it is a projecting, windowless grey-brown facade with rectangular flagstones. Norbert Kricke’s work draws attention to this otherwise unadorned surface. Mounted in front of the wall, the sculpture is made of metal pipes and designed with the proportions and horizontal orientation of the facade in mind.

Arranged into two roughly (but not quite) mirror-symmetrical groups, the different length tubes create a dynamic overall image that is reminiscent of a graphic diagram. They become lines that extend out into the surrounding space; the lines then become representations of the energetic processes that one might imagine taking place inside of the building.

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, p. 90.