United by Diversity – The Experiment

Art moves Europe e.V. has created a borderless “European Sculpture.”

The motto of the EU describes the belief in a diverse society where people are not only able to live near each other, but also with each other.
But how serious do we have to be about the European idea if we are having to give part of our own ideas up for it?

Eight artists took part in the innovative art experiment: Achim Ripperger, Alfred Mevissen, Christian Friederichs, Frank Tils, Herbert Leichtle, Michaela Lawtoo, Riccarda Menger and Simone Carole Levy. They were given the task of contributing creatively on the same stone, without being able to consult each other. There was no guarantee that their own work would stay exactly in the form they had left it in, and they had the freedom to work over what the previous artist had done.

The experiment purposefully pushed their personal boundaries and it wanted to visibly make and document the process from “I” to “we” – from coexistence to togetherness – as a symbol for Europe.

This project was less about putting a personal stamp on the sculpture, and more about thinking and working together, with the aim to create a standalone community piece that speaks about diversity in its own language.

 

The experiment was a lot of fun for everyone involved and it was exciting to experience the process that the artists used to change the stone, but also what the stone and the process did for the artists.

Link 3D Modell
Link Art moves Europe e.V.

 

 

Author: Alfred Mevissen
Translation: Hannah Griffiths

October 2021