Vor Ort
A public art project in Sennestadt, Germany
May 25–October 19, 2014
Opening: Sunday, May 25, 11:30am
Sennestadtpavillon (Information office)
Sennestadtring 15a
33689 Bielefeld
Germany
Hours: Saturday 2–5pm, Sunday 11am–4pm;
projects open all times
Vor Ort {On Site} has invited eight international artists to present their works in the public areas of Sennestadt, a municipal district of Bielefeld. Under the artistic direction of Thomas Thiel, director of the Bielefelder Kunstverein, the new commissions by David Adamo, Awst & Walther, Michael Beutler, Andreas Bunte, Christian Falsnaes, Manfred Pernice, Arne Schmitt and Kateřina Šedá seek to connect real, social and media spaces. The projects will focus on the specific history of this landscape as well as its current condition. The Sennestadt district, significant in architecture and urban design, together with its inhabitants become the subject matter.
Sennestadt arose out of an ambitious urban development project during the 1950s, which attracted worldwide attention as an ‘Experiment Amid Green Fields.’ The original concept, developed by architect Prof. Dr. Hans Bernhard Reichow (1899–1974), aspired to be ‘organic urban architecture,’ an urban landscape which was relaxed, lush, green and appealing to the area’s residents. A sense of enhanced living was believed to be achieved through a synthesis of landscape, architecture and art. In 1973, Sennestadt was incorporated during the restructuring of the Bielefeld districts. It has since undergone a continuous process of urban, social and political change. Throughout these changes and particularly since 2008, Reichow’s design and its progression under the motto ‘Reichow for the 21st century’ have played important roles in redeveloping Sennestadt’s public spaces.
Vor Ort questions the current correlation between art, the city and the public sphere, using Sennestadt as a model. The project is accompanied by an educational program, which includes guided tours, workshops, lectures and discussions.
Vor Ort is an official project of the 800th Anniversary of Bielefeld by the Sennestadtverein e.V. in cooperation with the Sennestadt GmbH, the district Sennestadt and the Bielefelder Kunstverein.
