Rotation Rebound - Susanne Lorenz / Tilman Wendland
HaL-Hofskulptur #6
Haus am Lützowplatz Berlin
24. April - 24. Oktober 2021

Skulptur aus 12 Einpersonen-Trampolinen, Durchmesser ca 210 cm
Fotos: Uwe Walter

Susanne Lorenz and Tilman Wendland’s black and silver sculpture, which appears to have landed in Haus am Lützowplatz’s courtyard garden, consists of twelve circular surfaces connected to form a round version of a pentagon dodecahedron. The geometric regularity of this construction is visually complex. Its open structure allows the interior of the sphere to be experienced; this combined with the diaphanous quality of the textile surfaces, creates an interpenetration of volume and space. As one approaches the sculpture, which is over two meters high, it becomes clear that the circular surfaces are the jumping nets of small trampolines. The item, used here twelve times, is designed for a body weight of up to 100 kilos and is expressly not intended for children. The rods protruding from the surface reveal themselves to be the sporting equipment’s support legs, on which the relevant safety stickers can still be found. Several of the legs are extended with threaded rods, ensuring greater stability. However, the extensions which project into open space reinforce the resemblance to aerospace equipment. With the knowledge of the use value of its components, the sculpture gains a dynamic and physical level of meaning beyond its formal qualities. The “rebound” invoked in the title “Rebound Rotation” can be experienced by touching the tightly stretched elastic fabric. At the same time, references to ball games, which are quite contradictory to the rather technoid vocabulary, also enter the associative field. In the end, this contradiction can no more be set aside than the sculpture’s formal relationship to the outer shell of a certain virus.

Marc Wellmann