Stele

Made up of precast concrete elements, the stele in front of the concert hall at the Hochschule für Musik is one of Detmold artist Karl Ehlers’s most abstracted works. For comparison, one the artist’s most famous works is a sculpture titled Ineinandergefügt / Fitted Together that can be found in front of the Allwetterzoo in Münster. While the shape of that sculpture still suggests the silhouette of an animal figure, this stele from a decade later appears to be constructed out of completely abstract straight and round segments that have been stacked to form a tower. The elements project in all directions and depict a rhythm, which – appropriate to its location – appears musical or perhaps even related to dance. Physically connected to the building behind it, the bottom third of the white stele stands out against the gray facade. As a Kunst am Bau work, it accentuates the entrance area of the new building that was constructed at the same time, while giving the striking but simple structure a distinctive face. Karl Ehlers lived in Detmold from 1948 until his death in 1973. Several of his works shape the cityscape.