In early May 2023 a proposal was submitted in an art-for-architecture competition for a nursery school in Berlin. The competition invited proposals for a total of seven nursery schools, for each of which an individual design was required. Under the title “Bildwuchs” (Growing Pictures), an object with rotating rods was proposed for the outdoor area.
The object consists of rods that the children immediately want to grasp and turn. The rotating rods – with a rectangular profile – are painted on all four sides. Positioned randomly, they produce an abstract image that can be changed endlessly. When they are placed in the same position, however, they produce a recognisable picture. When all rods are turned in the same way, this picture is transformed into a different motif. Here the children are helped by the basic colour that is allocated to each individual motif.
Thus, the visual statement is created by the children. They make their own art here. The Bildwuchs is a participatory and interactive artistic offering that can occupy a number of children at the same time. The motifs display different fruits and (didactically) one number each: 1 fruit (banana) 2 fruits (tomatoes), 3 fruits (pears) 4 fruits (plums).