The contrast of artistic creativity and industrial standardization is a common theme throughout Friedrich Gr\u00e4sel’s work. It is particularly clear in this installation at the Colosseum in Westpark, a former steel foundry of the Bochumer Verein.
\nIn seven of the building\u2019s arcades, the artist installed colorful abstract metal figures. These figures experiment with DIN 1511, a specifically defined standardization for the production and quality of foundry modeling equipment. The seven stelae vary in shape and color and are mounted on steel girders in the Colosseum\u2019s round arches at a height of roughly 7 meters.
\nThe stelae were first erected in the Colosseum in 1994 for the Internationale Bauausstellung. A foundation called the Stiftung der Sparkasse Bochum zur F\u00f6rderung von Kultur und Wissenschaft acquired six of the sculptures in early 2001 and the artist donated the seventh as a gift. During the renovation of the Westpark and the Colosseum at the former Krupp property on Alleestra\u00dfe, the sculptures were placed in storage and then returned to their locations in 2009.<\/p>\n