The artwork is directly related to the two recently opened replacement laboratory buildings on the campus, which enable the faculties of Life Science Technologies, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics to conduct teaching and research in state-of-the-art settings.
By combining art and architecture, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia aims to raise the profile of building culture and strengthen it in an exemplary and sustainable manner. The artistic design is intended to create a direct link between the public, the building, and its use.
"This is precisely what the artist and colleague Professor Ernst Thevis has achieved," said University President Professor Dr. Jürgen Krahl during the inauguration. "With his artwork 'Dialog,' he has not only created a place that fits perfectly into the overall picture of the campus, but also symbolizes social and scientific interaction—and thus the fundamental understanding of TH OWL."
Professor Ernst Thevis teaches the fundamentals of design and plastic design to aspiring architects and interior designers in the Faculty of Detmold School of Design at TH OWL. It was therefore obvious to place the connection between art and architecture in his creative hands.
The artwork does not stand alone, but integrates perfectly into its surroundings. The "dialogue" takes up the existing plan for a trapezoidal green space and transforms it into a spacious floor relief.
A shell of rust-red Corten steel encloses two bodies rising towards each other, which together complement each other to form a trapezoidal green landscape. The joint between the two trapezoidal halves forms a narrow path through this landscape.
"Both the choice of contrasting materials—Corten steel and vegetation—and the shape of the relief, consisting of two halves bordering a path, evoke associations that can be understood in many ways as symbolic of the innovative campus of a technical university. The title 'Dialogue' stands for all the possible associations that can be evoked when experiencing the sculpture," explains Ernst Thevis.
"The artwork 'Dialog' reminds us that true innovation only arises where people talk to each other, listen to each other, and break new ground," emphasizes Wolfgang Feldmann, branch manager of BLB NRW.
As soon as the plants in the artwork bloom next spring, students settle down on the surrounding stairs, and campus users discover the path through the artwork for themselves, "Dialogue" will take center stage.
