Two Hills - One Landscape
VENUSTAS ET UTILITAS - Aesthetic design of land used for agriculture and forestry in the Ruhr Metropolis
Mechtenberg / Photo: WAZ Foto Pool/Ulrich von Born
Two hills - one landscape: The Mechtenberg hill, one of the few natural elevations in the Ruhr, rises gently above the city of Essen. Well within view, the grey, conical shape of the Rheinelbe spoil heap at Gelsenkirchen looms large, along with Herman Prigann's "Stairway to Heaven".
Very few places in the Ruhr area present such a tense juxtaposition between the primeval landscape and that shaped by industrial development.
The project is an experiment to determine the extent to which aesthetics and practicality can co-exist harmoniously in the Ruhr Metropolis. The Studio Bürgi from Camorino/Switzerland is conducting the daring experiment along with project curator Professor Weilacher, Budde/Maas agricultural partners, the Regional Forestry Administration NRW and the Ruhr Regional Association as project partners.
Distinct lines of colour in a swirling sea of petals and grasses will be visible throughout 2010. Changing angles, changing views. The true character of the Mechtenberg landscape can best be appreciated from the artificial height of the "Stairway to Heaven". The significance of this topographical perspective came to the fore during the Celebration of Lights on 1 February 2010, when hundreds of people from the urban triangle of Bochum, Essen and Gelsenkirchen staged a stunning light festival. A linear ribbon of light emanated from the Rheinelbe spoil tip, snaking in darkness through the snowy landscape. During the Straw Festival (21 August 2010) and the Scarecrow Parade (31 October 2010), the landscape will again be spectacularly transformed.
In addition, the Rheinelbe Art in Nature exhibition is devoted to the work of Art in Nature artist Herman Prigann, who died in 2008. Overseen by the administrator of Prigann's estate, Professor Dr. Ronte, the exhibition has been realised by the North Rhine-Westphalia Museum of Architecture and the Art of the Engineer (M:AI) as a cooperation partner of the Regional Forestry Administration.
Free admission
A publication entitled "Feldstudien" (Field Studies) has been published by Birkhäuser Verlag
Event dates: Mechtenberg, Essen / Rheinelbe spoil tip, Gelsenkirchen
Celebration of Lights February 1, 2010, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Spring Festival March 20, 2010, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Straw Festival August 21, 2010, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Scarecrow Parade October 31, 2010, 4 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Exhibition May 16 – September 26, 2010, Thurs – Sun, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Contact: zweiberge@martina-hoff.de
Partners: Landesbetrieb Wald und Holz (Regional Forestry Administration), MUNLV NRW, Ruhr Regional Association; curator: Prof. Dr. Weilacher