Circular steel tube, painted orange and blue; 1000 x 12 cm (H x Ø)
On the traffic island Moltkeplatz / Ruhrallee; coordinates: 51 26 49.77 N 7 01 24.70 E
„Traffic islands are perceived as obstacles with no quality of stay that need to be bypassed. This could also apply to the triangular wedge-shaped island created in accordance with the Richtlinie für die Anlage von Knotenpunkten (RAS-K) / Guidelines for the Design of Intersections, which regulates the traffic between Moltkeplatz and Ruhrallee. But here, a ten-meter-high steel pipe pokes into this no-man’s land like a needle, giving pause to pedestrians who would otherwise want to quickly cross this non-place.
Lutz Fritsch (*1955) developed the sculpture in 1990 specifically for this site. The sculpture provides the entry to the Moltkeplatz and at the same time ‒ as a vertical orange and blue focus point ‒ mirrors its surroundings.“
(Tankred Stachelhaus)
„In the lower part of the traffic intersection one sees the dynamics, the movement, the speed of the passing cars. This pulsating moment is found again in the color of orange. Above the traffic intersection is the zone of tranquility and space. This is the color of blue.“
(Lutz Fritsch)
In October 2007 Lutz Fritsch wrote about his sculptur EIN•STAND / MONO•POLE:
“ . . . The sculpture EIN•STAND / MONO•POLE is a site-specific sculpture. That is, it is created for this particular place, developed from the place.
I chose this place at the time because it is a piece of ’no man’s land‘; an island in its own right, integrated into an intersection system of traffic routing. In the lower part of the traffic intersection one sees the dynamics, the movement, the speed of the passing cars.
This pulsating moment is found again in the color of orange. Above the traffic intersection is the zone of tranquility and space. This is the color of blue
The sculpture and the location for which it was conceived are one! . . .“
Guided tour by Lutz Fritsch to works in Bonn and Cologne
on 28 September 2014
Lutz Fritsch, whose work EIN•STAND / MONO•POLE on the traffic island Moltkeplatz / Ruhrallee has been welcoming visitors to the sculpture ensemble on the Moltkeplatz since 1990, was honored on 21 September 2014 with the award of the Leo-Breuer-Preis / -Prize by the Landschaftsverband Rheinland LVR. On the same day, the solo exhibition „Lutz Fritsch“ was opened at the Gesellschaft für Kunst und Gestaltung gkg in Bonn. More about it here.
On 28 September 2014 Lutz Fritsch provided a guided tour to a group of members and friends of the association Kunst am Moltkeplatz KaM e.V., who were thrilled to be shown his exhibition in Bonn as well as works in Bonn and Cologne and to have his ideas and conceptions explained to them. The tour began with the exhibition at the gkg in Bonn and led via the two-part large sculpture Standortmitte / Center of Location on the roundabouts ‒ at the two end points of the A 555 Autobahn ‒ in Bonn and Cologne to the kinetic sculpture Leuchtturm / Lighthouse at the Elisabeth-Treskow-Platz by the Rheinauhafen in Cologne.
In lovely late summer weather, the participants experienced a most interesting day, for which we would like to thank Lutz Fritsch, and which will remain in our memories for a long time.
Below some impressions from the various stages of the tour:
RHEINORANGE / RHINE ORANGE
On 16 September 2017 there was the opening at the Lehmbruck Museum Duisburg of the exhibition RHEINORANGE / RHINE ORANGE by Lutz Fritsch, and the presentation of a documentation.
The ceremony at the Lehmbruck Museum commemorated the 25th „birthday“ of the sculpture RHEINORANGE / RHINE ORANGE, which was erected in 1992, and was restored in 2016. The 25 m high landmark RHEINORANGE / RHINE ORANGE highlights the place in Duisburg-Kaßlerfeld where the Ruhr River empties into the Rhine River ‒ visible from afar in the bright color RAL 2004 „Rein-Orange (without the „H“) / pure orange“.
Cleaning of EIN•STAND / MONO•POLE September 2021
In September 2021, using a lift truck, the 10 m high painted steel pipe was cleaned with water and a sponge.
Since the last cleaning some 13 years ago, a coating of algae and moss had formed on the weather side of the sculpture, which was now removed.
More about it here.
Lutz Fritsch´s website here.
Lutz Fritsch in Wikipedia here.