Houseball - Berlin, Germany
Posted by: 
GandalfMZ
N 52° 30.567 E 013° 23.350
33U E 390678 N 5818922
"Houseball" (1996) Bethlehemkirch-Platz, Mauerstrasse, Mitte, Berlin - Sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and his wife
Waymark Code: WM48DV
Location: Berlin, Germany
Date Posted: 07/21/2008
Views: 175
'Houseball', 1996, was designed by the artist Claes Oldenburg and his wife, writer Coosje van Bruggen. It is currently located at Bethlehemskirchplatz on Mauerstrasse, downtown Berlin. The sculpture, 27 ft. 6 in. or 8.4 m. high with a diameter of 24ft. 4 in. or 7.4 m., symbolizes the meager household goods a refugee carries on his or her back.
Its location is steeped in history. In the 1730s Friedrich Wilhelm I permitted the first immigrants from Bohemia to settle in the area, providing them with building materials for their houses. The first Bohemian church was erected on this site in 1735-1737 as the Bethlehemskirche.
Destroyed in World War Two, today the outlines of the church's foundations can be traced in colored paving stones on the square, which is now known as Bethlehemskirchplatz. 'Houseball', then, has found a fitting location here, reminding us of people uprooted from their homes both in historical times as well as in our own day.
Title: Houseball
Artist: Claes Oldenburg and his wife
Media (materials) used: Stainless steel, fiber-reinforced plastic, jute netting
Location (specific park, transit center, library, etc.): Bethlehemskirchplatz, Mauerstrasse
Date of creation or placement: 1996
|
Visit Instructions:To help give a different perspective and to better the waymark for future visitors please tell us about your visit and upload a favorite photograph you took of the waymark.