THE PATIENT JOURNEY

DESCRIPTION OF THE ARTWORK FLYING BOAT ”THE PATIENT JOURNEY” FOR ”HELFENDE HÄNDE” (HELPING HANDS) – ASSOCIATION FOR FOSTERING AND CARING FOR MULTIPLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN AND ADULTS

The starting points for my evolution of a design for a sculpture for the ”Helfende Hände” building were above all the questions: What can severely handicapped people perceive, what can they comprehend visually, and how can an art object be harmonized with their imagination? Furthermore, how can such an object be integrated into the existing spatial architecture? The result was a floating sculpture which combines unfamiliar elements, sets colorful accents, moves rhythmically, and sounds a daily recurring audible signal. The Flying Boat floats in the space between Earth and sky, a poetic game. It attempts to address levels of consciousness in the handicapped people – levels which may be unknown to us. It tries to convey thoughts of which we non-handicapped people ordinarily have no experience. Afloat, bearing visions or stories that are unknown to us, the Flying Boat and its mysteries are meant to tempt the beholder and invite him or her to embark upon a fantastic journey.

       Two human figures – abstracted, schematic and differently colored – glide through the foyer as though they were sailing on waves of air. Anchored together in their boat, sitting and floating, they suggest the relationship of mutual trust that unites the people who live and work in this house – a gentle hint through a symbolic sign. Slow, rhythmic, rotary movements of the six propellers are meant to create a joyful link between the residents and the Flying Boat. The rotors make the Flying Boat appear like a floating island, perhaps a sanctuary for creative notions, perhaps a zone of encounter for intermediate worlds à la Klee. Who knows? During the evening, the Flying Boat and its movements could be projected in reflected light, like a scissors-cut silhouette, onto the sunshades that span the large windowed façade. This would create two movements: the turning rotors and their shadows. Once each day and always at the same hour, a harmonious audible signal of birdsong and ocean waves will be heard.

       Patient Journey. Are we the searchers, the visitors in this other plane of being? A journey to inconceivable times and places. Thoughts of flight anchored between future places and infinity. Marking airspace with notions conceived from afar. A daily balancing act between unknown stories and spaces. The weight of the patient mirror. Encircled by the breath of the daily yearning for center and for light. Airy journey with fragile gaze, bridge between tears and hope.

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

       The hull of the boat, its rotors, and the human figures inside it are constructed from wood. The Flying Boat and its rotors are covered with sheets of lead. The figures are differently painted with acrylic paint. The boat contains an electric motor which is not externally visible; this motor powers the propellers, which rotate slowly and smoothly. Wire cables anchor the Flying Boat to the steel roof beams.

DIMENSIONS/WEIGHT

       Length = 3.50 m; width = 2.40 m; height = 1.80 m; weight = circa 600 kg.