The “Bird” was created in 1986 as a free-hanging object in the stairwell of the Kiezschule (neighborhood school) in Berlin-Kreuzberg (SO 36).
The work unfolds as a space-filling construction between natural form and technical apparatus. The wings consist of metallic struts that, like a skeleton or the ribs of a sail, evoke an impression of both lightness and strength. At the center—where one would expect to find the bird's body and heart—sits an organically shaped form, framed by antler elements that emphasize the tension between animal form, symbol, and artifact.
The bird is not conceived naturalistically, but rather appears as a hybrid of machine and living being, of construction and metaphor. Suspended in the stairwell, it marks a place of transition—between floors, between everyday life and imagination, between confinement and expansiveness.
It alludes to the motif of departure and seeing from a height, to a perspective that transcends the limitations of the space. In this sense, the bird is both guardian and symbol of the school: it accompanies the children on their journeys, opens their eyes, and transforms movement through the building into a moment of wonder.
View into the stairwell of the neighborhood school
BIRD, 1986
Skizzen zum Objekt