On 8 January 2015 an art-for-architecture proposal for the new building of the Materialwissenschaftliches Zentrum für Energiesysteme (MZE; Materials Science Centre for Energy Systems) in Karlsruhe was submitted. A two-part colour object with the title Energy Wave would connect the entrance area and an open space with an artistic statement. The intention is above all to reinforce the semantic potential of the architecture (layers, representing variety of materials), and that the architecture and three-dimensional painting will convey a common message.
of the MEZ
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on the exterior
of the MEZ
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seen from the
entrance area
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Concept:
The two locations for which the tender was made – the green space and the canopy – are given a common, consistent work of art consisting of two corresponding parts.
Content:
The Energy Wave represents an equivalent to the research programme of the MZE. Material is charged with energy – through colour. In this way the potential immanent to the material is made visible. Something emerges from the ground, and hence from invisibility, as a metaphor for understanding and knowledge. The layering of several congruent but differently coloured surfaces stands for the interdisciplinary research community.
Relationship to the architecture:
The contour of the Energy Wave responds to the curved profile of the built volume and turns it to the horizontal. The structure adopts the layered blades of the façades and turns them to the vertical. This abstraction und transformation – vertical to horizontal, horizontal to vertical – emphasises the semantics of the architecture (the significance of the layers). The inner message of the Energy Wave thus takes its cue from the message of the architecture. The Energy Wave also makes a contribution to the atmosphere by adding a dimension to the architecture: the perception of the active colour.
Structure:
The two parts of the Energy Wave are formed from five congruent sheets in parallel layers. This layering in combination with the colour and the coherent course of the curve brings about the unity of the two parts.
Perception:
The Energy Wave radiates colour – from inside to outside. The outer surfaces look grey. Views of the inner surfaces convey a colour impression that changes as the observer walks: from a red to a blue, from a blue to a red colour mood.
Implementation:
The Energy Wave consists of vertical sheets of steel, wet-painted. The distances between them of 60 cm make it possible to walk through and thus to clean the floor without difficulty. In the green space the foundation is laid deeper so that the edge of the lawn can be mown exactly.