Sculptures
My abstract sculptures are mainly made of metal (brass, copper), wood and concrete.
As a computer scientist, I love structures. Both technical structures such as software architectures and chip designs as well as naturally grown organic structures. The combination of both is exciting for me.
In my sculptural works I mostly combine technical structures in metal with organic shapes in wood, concrete or sometimes even metal.
I created the sculptures in the late 80s and early 90s during my military service and my computer science studies. Afterwards my focus was mainly on work and family and i had only little time left for artwork.
Some years ago I started to create upcycling light artworks, this is my new sujet.
Phoenix
This is Phoenix, a very elaborate sculpture I made in 09/1990.
The core is a three-sided form of sheet brass based on a balsa wood core. Balsa is the wood of the Ochroma tree, a very lightweight wood.
Covered with a structure of brass wires which I soldered on the brass. This was a really tiring job - for hours and hours.
The brass core is surrounded by a three-sided balsa wood cover.
Using a jigsaw I made these decomposing holes into the balsa wood.
And finally the golden Phoenix came out of the dark ashes.
Size: without pedestal: 1,2m / 4ft.
Material: brass, balsa wood
In 09/1990 I was in the 7th semester of my computer science studies at Technische Universität München.
One of my favourite materials is brass.
Brass is a metal alloy made of copper and zinc. Why do I use brass for my scultures?
- it is very easy to process
- soldering is possible with a soldering iron
- available in DIY and construction markets
- inexpensive
- high grade look of polished brass
- nice corrosion
In ancient Greek legends, a phoenix is a mythical bird that lives for several hundred years, dies and is born again. He dies in flames by setting itself on fire and a new phoenix arises from the ashes of the fire.
In my sculpture the bright and golden brass structure arises out of the morbid and organic dark balsa wood. It symbolizes the process of renewal which is an integral part of all life. New life is healthy and in order until it changes into disorder and renews itself again.
Monomorphe Struktur
I created Monomorphe Struktur in 08/1989.
It is made of brass tubes in different sizes and a brass metal plate tortured by an electrical welding device. Cutting the hundreds of brass tubes by handsaw was really hard.
Size: 1,5m ~ 4,8ft
Material: Brass tubes and brass sheet metal
Lectures in linear algebra have inspired me to the title Monomorphe Struktur of this brass sculpture.
In the context of abstract algebra or universal algebra, a monomorphism is an injective homomorphism.
A monomorphism from X to Y is often denoted with the notation X ↪ Y.
All right?
At the time of my studies of computer science at TUM I also had the time for endless hours working on this sculpture - but it was completely worth it.
Isomorphe Struktur
I made Isomorphe Struktur in 1989, the second year in university (computer science at Technical University Munich). Influenced by lectures in linear algebra I constructed this pile of brass squares penetrated by many brass tubes.
In mathematics, an isomorphism is a homomorphism or morphism (which is a mathematical mapping) that can be reversed by an inverse morphism. Two mathematical objects are isomorphic if an isomorphism exists between them.
Size: 1,4m ~ 4,6ft
Material: Brass tubes and brass sheet metal
Isomorphe Struktur
1989 - Brass tubes and brass sheet metal.
Symbiose
This is "Symbiose", a very complicated concrete casting I created in 1988.
At first I created a structure of brass wires. Then I filled it with soft wax at several places inside and fully at all sides. Put in a wooden box and filled with liquid concrete.
Next day I have melted the wax away - surprise - a symbiosis of fragile wires and hard concrete. Savvy?
Size: 60cm / 2ft.
Material: Concrete casting, brass rods
Symbiose
1988 - Concrete casting, brass
Omega
In May 1989 I created Omega. Ω - Omega is the 24th and final letter of the Greek alphabet.
This sculpture is made of a steel stovepipe, which I tortured with a electro welder. Inside there is copper wire and glass rods illuminated from a lamp below in the base. The pedestal is a concrete casting.
Overall height: 1,4m / 4.6ft
Material: Steelpipe, copper, glass
Der Parasit
I created this sculpture Der Parasit in 1988.
The stone is a 22kg / 49lb slate plate (Schieferplatte). In the center of the slate is a working LCD display of an american telephone surrounded by countless brass rods.
The $-sign and parts of numbers appear on the display. I developed and built the display electronics on my own. This whole project was quite ambitious.
Measures: 1m by 0,6m / 3,3ft by 2ft
Material: Slate stone, brass, LCD display, electronics