Schwebend / Suspended

Often constructed as a combination of basic wooden forms, the artist describes his large-format works as “architectural sculptures.” His sculpture in Wuppertal also reflects the architectural / technical construction of the Schwebebahn, which so decidedly shapes the city’s image and appearance. Created to celebrate the Schwebebahn’s 100th anniversary, the circular segments of this work make reference to steel framework of the widely visible suspension railway. The terms “elastic” and “suspended” can be used to describe both the railway and the sculpture. The work is primarily made up of three circular composite larch wood segments. One of the segments is positioned with its rounded side up; the other two rest on support beams on either side of it with their rounded sides down. Another L-shaped beam rests diagonally across the top of this construction. Because the beam tilts slightly downward as it extends past the main structure, it appears as if it is only loosely balanced in place. It points beyond the sculpture in a straight line, while the rounded “blades” suggest circular or swinging lines. Although the sculpture reaches out into the surrounding space, it does not lose its self-contained, straightforward, and timeless character.