A sculpture designs itself
inges idee at Siemens Campus Erlangen
We make art in public spaces, so we have to engage with the public, otherwise you're only engaging with the art world. Our idea has been rather to try to create at least one space that everyone can enter. Without much prior knowledge.Georg Zey
The Entwurf is a figure that "designs" itself. Standing on a hill and dynamically bent forward, this figure hurls disks at an imaginary target lying in front of her.
Similar to researchers who design their experiments according to a set hypothesis, the figure projects itself forward towards a goal, into an open future in which it could materialize itself anew or in another shape.
Terms such as goal and direction, vision and alignment are found in an absurdly humorous way in the artwork, which sets in motion a multitude of open interpretations at the location of the Siemens Campus.
The artists' collective "inges idee" creates sculptures for public spaces. Works by inges idee stand in front of schools and banks worldwide and on the coasts of several continents. The sculptures often bring a smile to the faces of people who stop to look at them. The works, which are mostly three-dimensional, always relate to the specific location and the people who live and work there.
An important function of art in public spaces is to create art for all. That is exactly what “inges idee”, in collaboration with the Siemens Arts Program, is attempting to do in Erlangen. The artists have come up with a work consisting of 112 colored cylinders, which is intended to connect with various styles of living and working, the new Siemens Campus and the local people.
The design, i.e. the figure, is designing itself. It is throwing parts of itself away. These parts give rise to something new, something that has not yet been put into words but is becoming a possible idea. That is the basic idea of a research campus and also the basis of all entrepreneurship – developing new ideas.says Hans Hemmert from the artists' collective “inges idee” of the work
The sculpture "The Entwurf" for the Siemens Campus in miniature format
Photo: Stefan Hoederath
The figure is throwing the individual parts anarchically and randomly into the Siemens Campus. Freedom of thought and also of creative activity is essential to our conceptual work.adds the artist Georg Zey
The central sculpture, which is over four meters high, is made up of 65 cylinders forming a human figure holding a frisbee. Distributed around the campus are 47 more colored aluminum disks which, figuratively speaking, are being thrown away by the sculpture. The 47 cylinders or frisbees can stand for ideas that are being thrown into the space. Some parts of the artwork are positioned around the grounds in such a way that they can be used as seats or tables, for relaxation, contemplation or lunch breaks. Art that is tangible and forms part of everyday life.
The site being developed in Erlangen will be Siemens’ largest site worldwide. It will bring together on one campus various Siemens divisions which were previously spread across different sites. The campus will form a new district, with restaurants, stores and apartments, which is open to the public. And even after office closing time, the idea is that the campus will become a vibrant part of the city.
Behind the scenes – assembly of the sculpture
