Sanctuary

“Nature is enough on its own and should also be enough for humans. The nature that we can still find around us (I deliberately avoid saying “have”) doesn’t require any human intervention. It is a revelation in and of itself – as well as for us…” This is how Hermann des Vries describes his artistic approach in his Sanctuaries.

A sanctuary is a protected holy place like a church or temple. The Sanctuary in Münster is made up of a circular brick wall. There is no way to enter the circle, so nature can continue to grow inside unaffected by humans.

Along the wall, there are four oval oculi that face each of the cardinal directions; these openings serve as the only way to observe the developing life inside. The sandstone border along the top of the wall is inscribed with Sanskrit quotes from the Upanishads about the completeness and pure being.

Additional information: www.hermandevries.org/project_sanctuaries.php

Further reading:
Skulptur-Projekte in Münster 1997, eds. Klaus Bußmann, Kasper König and Florian Matzner, Ostfildern 1997, pp. 430–435.