In mid-June 2017 a competition entry entitled “Constructor” was submitted. Constructor is a colour object for a public space, to be set up in front of the office building of a large construction company. Galerie mbeck in Homburg/Saar invited tenders from several artists associated with the gallery for the competition on behalf of an unnamed client.
three-dimensional
design, view 1
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three-dimensional
design, view 2
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three-dimensional
design, view 3
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in detail
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view
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perspectives
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perspectives
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perspectives
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(photo montage)
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(photo montage)
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Constructor is an art object that provides a point of reference for the employees of the construction company. It marks a central location for all persons, the space in front of the office building, and lends meaning to this shared centre. At the same time it adds depth to the nature of building. By aesthetically intensifying a common location and a common activity, Constructor serves to provide identification and to reinforce the feeling of togetherness in the company.
Constructor represents the idea of building: the vertical as the desired result, the diagonal as the process of making, erecting, relating parts to each other, putting together, as timeless stability and active dynamics in equal measure. Constructor sublimates the idea of building – not by putting a mass on the ground but by placing a drawing into the space. Planning, designing, controlling and checking are abstract processes, and Constructor makes its appearance with equal abstraction, as an object that is hinted at by lines alone. It does not get in the way or block the view, but only draws attention to something: building as skill, experience, ambition, mission.
Constructor consists of two elements that are the same yet different. They have the same construction. But they differ in their direction, by facing each other, by their height, in which they form a hierarchy, and in their placement, by emphasizing the vertical and the diagonal as an antithesis. This ambivalence of equal/unequal is confirmed by the colouring. Both elements are red, but of different reds. Both elements come to life through a colour progression from which the red emerges, in one case from yellow, in the other case starting from blue. Constructor is a monumental drawing in space. It owes its visibility not to voluminous mass but to the energy of its colours. The colours are harmonized with the surroundings. In their intensity they respond to the light grey of the paving and the façade. They also respond to the colour highlights of the façade by setting warm red against cold blue. This results not only in a contrast, but also in a harmonious complement.
The transparency of the construction leads to perspective effects. Each point of view of the beholder provides a changed image. The object thus acquires a cinematic dimension. Passers-by can easily step through Constructor. They can pass through it, brush against the bars, touch them or lean against them. The object can be entered and used. It is participatory and interactive. In this sense, Constructor is a colleague.
Constructor consists of two cuboid elements. Both have a ground surface area of 1,000 x 1,000 mm. In height the vertical element measures 10,000 mm, the diagonal element 8,500 mm. The diagonal element is tilted at an angle of 10 degrees. The elements are made from four-sided steel profiles with a thickness of 100 x 100 mm. On the one hand, this thickness allows the edges to appear as lines and not as mass, while on the other hand the colours have sufficient effect. The steel profiles are firmly attached to the foundation by braces, lending enough stability to the whole structure. The wind force is very low due to extreme permeability of the object.