Reipoltskirchen – European Sculpture Route of Peace

1. Erich Koch (DE): "The Fallen", 1977, Bronze

The Kusel district acquired the sculpture "The Fallen" from the estate of the sculptor Erich Koch (1924 – 2014) and installed it in 2016 on the sculpture trail. Born in Roßbach near Wolfstein, Koch studied at the Academy of Arts in Munich, where he soon worked as a professor of sculpture with a focus on bronze casting. Besides this, he was an independent artist and left numerous works throughout Germany. The life-sized figure "The Fallen" shows a dying wolf. Wounded by several shots, it collapses and falls down a slope with its jaws open – not a confident, powerful animal, nor prey that hunters could be proud of. Rather, Koch depicts the noble predator as it is pursued and killed by humans. Wolves were among the animals that occupied the sculptor repeatedly.
"The Fallen" was cast by Koch himself at the Munich Academy. He used the "lost form" process, where the casting mold is destroyed so that only a single cast is possible. With this artwork, the Kusel district has created a worthy monument to one of its most important artists.       

Source: Dr. Herwig Buntz, Westrichkalender Kusel 2017, p. 22

2. Bertrand Ney (LU): "Le passage", 2014, Red Granite
The two-part sculpture "Le passage" – the passage – is like an open door in the landscape. It invites you to walk through it. Along the way, you come across a short poem by the poet Felicitas Frischmuth (1930 – 2009), which Bertrand Ney placed on the left and right sides: "If no one walks on it, the path overgrows. If we don’t walk, the path overgrows." The sculpture is a gift from the artist. With its installation, the sculpture circular path at Wasserburg Reipoltskirchen became part of the "European Sculpture Route of Peace," which runs 4000 km across Europe connecting the Norman coast with Moscow. The basic idea of a peace-promoting sculpture route comes from the Jewish artist Otto Freundlich (1878 – 1943). One must walk on such a path; otherwise, it overgrows. And we must walk ourselves, who else? We all carry responsibility for peace in the world.

3. Will Menter (FR): "Step Inside", 2015, Oak, Steel Cables

"Step Inside" is a sound sculpture that explores the boundary between the sounds of nature and the sounds of music. Will Menter, an Englishman living in France, is fascinated by the fact that we interpret certain sounds as music, others as sounds of nature or even noise. "A creative listener can find musical enjoyment in many unexpected contexts without a musician present. When the wind blows, when you arrive at 'Step Inside', pause for a few moments and allow the sculpture to sing for you. If there is no wind, touch it yourself and pause to listen. Then step inside the central part where you are surrounded by wood and can deeply enjoy the tones!"

4. István Erőss (HU): "Structures", 2011, Douglas Fir

In his work "Structures," the Hungarian artist Erőss deals with natural structures found in nature as well as man-made structures forming the sculpture. "In this case," says István Erőss, "the sculpture is not yet complete when the work is finished. Equally important is the location of its installation. The background of the work thus becomes part of the sculpture. Without the context of the location 'in situ', the artificial structure cannot clarify the original concept."

5. Stefan Engel (DE): "Habitat III", 2011, Oak Wood, Plexiglas

"Open interactive system, a nested and seemingly accessible, light-flooded housing consisting of interconnected architectural spaces visible from different perspectives made of acrylic glass, oak wood, and stainless steel," says Stefan Engel. The sculptor living in Schweisweiler in the Donnersberg district grew up in Kusel. Under his artistic direction, the two international sculpture symposia "Habitat" in 2010 and "Sculptural Gardens" in 2011 led to the creation of numerous artworks for the sculpture trail at the Wasserburg in Reipoltskirchen.

6. Monika Osiecka (PL): "elements", 2015, Sandstones, Limestone

"My work shows the elements acting in nature and acting on my sculpture – earth, water, wind, and fire," says the artist living in Warsaw about her work. She combined red and yellow Palatine sandstone with a yellow limestone from Poland. Osiecka created a work at Mont Ormel in Normandy in 2014, a sculpture that is part of the "European Sculpture Route of Peace." Thus, her weighty work in Reipoltskirchen forms another link in this Europe-wide peace project.

7. Philippe Gouwy (BE): "Three silences, many shades.", 2015, Oak, PU Silk Gloss Varnish

The Belgian artist has worked on four live oaks and created a colored surface on each trunk. Skillfully, he plays with the many shades of color resulting from light incidence and shadow casting. "In silence, everything is constantly changing. Nothing is eternal, nothing remains as it is, everything is in constant development, sometimes immediately visible (seconds, minutes), usually only after some time (years, centuries). We are all butterflies, independent of real time. See the seemingly petrified movement of these oaks! With their rough appearance, they stand as witnesses. Only when you look through the openings will you discover the colorful beauty and see how light creates many shades. I give you living worlds."

8. Mika Karhu (FI): "Lost Land", 2011, Synthetic Resin, Birch Bark, Lichen

As "Art in Nature" and "Nature Art" at the same time, the figurative sculpture thematizes the always special relationship between horse and man. "The horse," says Karhu, "is a working animal, partner and power symbol. However, modern society has become estranged from the horse – especially if one sees the animal and its relationship to humans as a metaphor for feelings. Feelings influence our performance, are complex phenomena, interactive processes between environment and individual. Behind personal feeling is thus a powerful cultural background of feelings, combined from various traditions. Therefore, fields of action are always constructs of the most diverse often contradictory aggregates."

9. Winni Schaak (DE): "Irri Tatta I", 2010, Steel

Two-dimensional three-dimensionality, straight edges, tense arcs, convex and flat surfaces characterize Winni Schaak’s minimalist bodies. His forms are clear and balanced. Sometimes they remind one of buildings, sometimes of creatures whose geometric formation withstands strong vitality. Schaak’s small-format as well as his monumental sculptures seem powerful and light at the same time – despite their heavy material. Schaak mainly uses weather-resistant Corten steel with a fine-pored, rusted surface and a warm, lively aura.

10. Heide Weidele (DE): "Tutti-Frutti Chandelier", 2011, Plastic Parts, Stainless Steel

Plastic waste and cheap products serve as raw materials: dishwashing liquid bottles, kitchen sieves, clothes hangers and hula hoops. These "poor" materials are united and formed by Weidele into overflowing, wildly proliferating works of art. Since Marcel Duchamp, found everyday objects are indispensable in art. At the 2011 symposium in Reipoltskirchen, she hangs a "Tutti-Frutti Chandelier" as "Art in Nature" in the trees. She says: "To make the chandelier visible from afar, I will for the first time incorporate all the colors from my plastic parts archive. Tutti Frutti is also a well-known rock-and-roll title, which refers to the former stationing of American troops in the Palatinate.

11. Marc de Roover (FR): "Joy", 2015, Douglas Fir, Lime Paint, Steel Cables

"They are two identical shapes made from the same boards that – only because they hang differently – give the impression of not being identical. Even when you view the works from another viewpoint, their appearance changes dramatically. They are also literally always in motion. Thus, these works translate the idea of joy, in that the Other has the freedom to express life and love in their own way. We can then always marvel at it. Joy is peace in motion," says the artist about his two art pieces "flying" high in the trees. The Belgian-born and French-resident Marc de Roover was also the artistic director of the International Artist Symposium "European Sculpture Route of Peace," which took place from August to September 2015 at the Wasserburg in Reipoltskirchen.

12. Liviu Russu (RO): "Vestige – Trace", 2011, Douglas Fir

His "Art in Nature" sculpture, protruding on both sides of a forest path from the ground for the sculpture trail in Reipoltskirchen, is called "Vestige," meaning "Trace", and one thinks of archaeology. "I am interested in the relationship between sculpture and architecture or sculptural construction," says Liviu Russu. It is an "open artwork, like all abstract sculptures, and can be seen as an 'Ark' or as an archaic construction.

13. Peter Jacquemyn (BE): "Without Title", 2015, Cherry Wood

"The sculpture with the black upside-down figure on top is too personal to give it a name. Every tree is a gift of nature, so rich in forms and structures. We have to respect this gift. I give these trees, which were already dying, a second life. For a certain time, they become artworks. To model them, I almost remove them. The initial form of these trees gives my creativity direction. The sculpture is actually already made before I start; everything is already there. The limited richness of the tree…"

14. Peter Jacquemyn (BE): "MM", 2015, Cherry Wood

"A chainsaw is more flexible than a pencil," says Peter Jacquemyn. "With this machine, I can draw in three dimensions. Also as a musician, I cultivate the spontaneous character of the sketch; I am always drawing. My sculpture 'MM' refers to the medieval wood sculptures of Mary Magdalene."

15. Merja Herzog-Hellstén (FI): "Plug – Stopper", 2011, Douglas Fir

"The day after, the water flowed back. As if there was again space in the brook. The grass meadows now lie unplugged," says Herzog-Hellstén, a native Finn living in Hanau. "The floodplain, which borders directly on built-up residential areas, is a sign of flexible coexistence between humans and nature. A temporary expansion of the brook as well as of the human habitat takes place at such locations only adapted to each other. The work 'PLUG' honors this flexibility."

16. Marc de Roover (FR): "Bridge", 2014, Steel, Douglas Fir

"Imagine a brook with only a left bank. That is impossible.
Left and right banks together make a brook. A bridge connects two apparent opposites." With these poetic words, the artist born in Belgium and living in France describes his pedestrian bridge over the Odenbach, connecting the sculpture trail at the Wasserburg in Reipoltskirchen into a real circular trail. "Two is one. Call it a declaration of love. That's why I gave wings to this bridge."

17. Irène le Goaster (FR): "Graines", 2015, Oak

"The work is called 'Graines' – seeds. Simple spatial contents, refined forms that want to inspire: calm and insight, imagination, play, and dreaming. An approach
to pieces of nature, breathing new life into them, revealing a new existence, a memory, an energy. Question this matter. Wish for this 'still power' that certain great trees radiate. A walk through mother nature to find nourishment in it…", says the Breton sculptor le Goaster about her five-part work on the flood meadow below the castle.

18. Urs-P. Twellmann (CH): "Patterns of Imperfection", 2010, Oak

"A room with a triangular base is not accessible and therefore only a facade or garment or a sculpture that draws images with its sawn and split surfaces, which change drastically during the day, with changing distance and changing light conditions. An attached open room is an outward space sketchily limited by beams, in which one of the facade elements becomes the interior wall," describes Urs-Peter Twellmann his oak sculpture.

19. Gottfried Bräunling (DE): "Relief Band – Art on the Building", 2006, Iron

At the conclusion of the renovation and revitalization of the Wasserburg Reipoltskirchen, the Kusel district commissioned the freelance artist Gottfried Bräunling with the "art on the building." The locally based and internationally active sculptor and painter succeeded in connecting attractive fence design, presentation of an information panel on the castle's history, and creation of a beautiful artwork placed invitingly at the castle entrance in front of the moat.

20. Walter Graser (DE): "Playing Young Goats", 2013, Sheet Metal

Pure joie de vivre and concentrated power convey the young goats in the castle garden, practicing playful attacks with lowered heads. Walter Graser trained as a lithographer, then studied painting, illustration, and mural painting at the Cologne arts schools. After some stations in the Palatinate and southern France, the freelance artist has enriched the cultural scene in the Kusel district for several years with diverse paintings, sculptures, and especially art on buildings.

21. Walter Graser (DE): "Goat Parent Couple", 2010, Sheet Metal 

The sculpture was acquired by the Kusel district in 2011. Walter Graser’s life-size animal sculptures, made from metal strips, are created with complete freedom. Thus, a magnificent billy goat proudly lifts its gaze in the courtyard of the Wasserburg, while its partner calmly grazes on the edge of the fountain beside him.

22. Benoît Delomez (FR): "Le voyage d’Alice", 2011, Photos on Dipond, Mirror Glass

"Alice’s journey" is an "in situ" work created by Benoît Delomez on site in Reipoltskirchen in July 2011 during the international symposium "Sculptural Gardens." The installation responds to the location, its architectural characteristics, and the specificity of a tower as found in stories and legends. The discovery of a figurine in a wall gap is the beginning of the "narrative" – that’s how "Alice’s journey" starts. The mirror, which the artist repeatedly uses in his works, refers us directly here to Lewis Carroll’s story "Alice Through the Looking-Glass," a mixture of dream and logic. It represents the transition from the real to the imaginary world, from the interior to the exterior space, from the artist’s world to ours. Benoît Delomez invites us on a journey and to pass through the wall and follow Alice in her adventures.
The multi-part work "Alice’s journey" is located at the top of the keep, the observation tower of the Wasserburg.

23. Stefan Engel (DE): "Tree of Life – Menorah for Elias Grünebaum", 2019, Ceramic 

A sculpture for E. Grünebaum, an important rabbi and writer who was influential in the Palatinate and far beyond, even to America, with ideas of liberalizing Judaism, is a demanding task: Without sufficient visual sources – I could guess more than know what Grünebaum might have looked like – it was clear that a monument would only make sense in an abstract formal language and I would like to talk about that now:

When you look at the silhouette of the sculpture, you first see a kind of tree, hence "Tree of Life," which somehow also resembles a Menorah – the seven-branched candlestick and the most important symbol of Judaism – which was incorporated into the state emblem at the founding of Israel.

(Of course, the number seven also exists in Christianity as a symbol of the completion of creation.)

On closer inspection, we see the "tree" splitting into two branches, hands whose fingers are raised to the sky. This is a similarity to the blessing hand at the former sisters' residential home, where a smaller niche sculpture portrays the familiar Latin blessing gesture.

This Jewish gesture here is probably less known because it was reserved only for rabbis; two palms (sometimes the backs of the hands face the viewer) are spread between the middle and ring fingers and show the Hebrew letter Shin – which abbreviates the divine name Shaddai. This is also a blessing gesture given at the end of religious services in the community.

The "blessing hands" are often found on the gravestones of descendants of priestly families; notice this the next time you visit a Jewish cemetery.

In the middle of the sculpture, a hollow shape forms a cross, which is meant to recall the meeting of religions, which Grünebaum not only demanded theoretically but also lived – (we will surely hear more from Roland Paul about this).

I would now like to talk about number symbolism

·       3 as a symbol of holiness,

·       4 as the foundation of the universe, which includes both heaven and earth

·       7 as the general symbol of all that has to do with God…

In view of today’s many program points, I would finally like to draw your attention only to the colorfulness:

In the Torah, the Israelites are instructed to dye the threads of their tallit / prayer shawls blue. The sight of the royal color is meant to remind us of God in heaven above us.

Heinrich Roos

An idyll that the animal painter Heinrich Roos associated with the place could hardly have painted more beautifully in the 17th century is still the Wasserburg Reipoltskirchen. It shapes the image of a peaceful valley section of the Odenbach. Here the Kusel district, in cooperation with Stefan Engel, the artistic director of these two symposia, invited an international group of sculptors. The aim of the symposia was not a baroque sculpture garden but the presentation of contemporary positions in sculptural art. Professionalism was also supposed to characterize the art-historical significance of the symposia. A catalog and a 20-minute film produced by Wunderlich-Medien Munich provided documentation of the two symposia: "International Symposium in Reipoltskirchen 2012."