Stele (Kiezschule Schoolyard, Berlin/Kreuzberg, 1986/87):
The stele was created as part of a collaborative project with the students of the Kiezschule and is conceived as a collective work. The starting point was the children's drawings and ideas, which were incorporated into the design of the sculptural elements. Thus, the vertical form combines the marks of many hands into a network of motifs: animals, plants, nets, symbols, and ornaments.
The cylindrical shape acts like a container for stories, and simultaneously like an open archive of imagination. The grid structure allows glimpses through while still holding the individual forms together. The collaborative process—from the initial design to the execution in metal—became a process of exchange, of practical experience, and of making children's imaginations visible in public space.
Erected in the schoolyard, the stele is not only a sculpture but also a memorial to an educational experiment: art as a collaborative process that gains permanence and simultaneously embodies the vibrancy of the children's voices.
Stele, built according to the students' designs, 1986
Sketch for the stele, pencil on cardboard, 44 x 30 cm each
Stele built according to the students' designs, 1986
Stele in the schoolyard of the neighborhood school. Created in collaboration with the students, 1986
