Federal Criminal Police Office Berlin 2021

Knot

hall of the Federal Criminal Police Office (2nd prize)

• 1040 stainless steel balls Ø 20 cm on steel cables
• Alucobond laser cut, 1460 x 538 x 334 cm
• total weight approx. 600 kg

The plan was for a striking, meandering sculpture made of 1040 mirrored spheres for the airspace of the BKA's entrance foyer. The spheres wind dynamically in four strands, forming a Gordian knot. The work's strong physical presence makes a dominant statement in the central reception area. The idea was to create a sculpture that associatively and symbolically unites the diverse responsibilities of the BKA without directly illustrating them. Since these areas of activity, as well as the BKA's internal structure, are subject to constant socio-political change, the sculpture was intended to have a timeless appearance and offer an associative projection surface for future visitors and employees.

The sculpture conveys an impression of movement, a dynamic whole that dissolves within its mirrored surface, reflecting the presence of the site itself. What at first glance appears as a solid structure, upon closer inspection consists of individual elements. The optical heaviness dissolves, becoming a molecularly structured lightness, figuratively linking itself, for example, to materials research and investigations by the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), or simultaneously evoking the image of cannonballs, alluding to the tangible fight against crime.

Each of these independently and freely swinging spheres makes visible what is normally invisible – its surface reflects the surrounding space at an angle greater than the human field of vision – one can see a little way behind the sphere – a metaphor for countless observations and observations.

Despite its size, the sculpture appears to float, seemingly in a state of continuous motion – reminiscent of a flock of birds gathering just before departure. An emblem of permanence, dynamism, and flexibility.

Heike Weber, and Walter Eul, 2021