Overcoming Boundaries: Celebrating 25 Years of German Unity
The Frankfurt Römer is crowded—but not with the usual tourists. Hundreds of tiny green men have appeared on the cobblestones in front of the city hall where, on the weekend, tourists weave between freshly married couples emerging from the Standesamt. But it’s not an alien invasion—it’s a public art installation called Overcoming Boundaries (Grenzen überwinden) by Ottmar Hörl celebrating 25 years of German Unity.
The few pedestrians in the Römer on a weekday morning walk among the little green men, snapping photos with smart phones and guiding children through the maze of the optimistic-looking statues. Based on the East German Ampelmänner (the figure on pedestrian crosswalk lights in East Germany), the 1,000, 38-centimeter tall statues in the square are called “Unity Men” (Einheitsmännchen) and are intended to be both a symbol of modern German society and an invitation to join in the conversation surrounding the 25-year anniversary.
“Everyone is intended to get involved, to contemplate these issues, find new ways to improve our social and political systems, contribute to the debate, to intervene—and everyone should do it their way. Ideally, this may result in new ways of looking at things, new ways of doing things, so that ‘borders can be overcome,’” explains Hörl in a pamphlet available at the exhibition.
Overcoming Borders began in Wiesbaden on March 24th, 2015, in front of the Hessian State Chancellery building. From there the installation began its travels across Germany—a journey that will end on October 4th following The Day of German Unity on October 3rd. Currently it can be seen in Frankfurt, where the installation will remain until September 27th.
The statues—in traffic light green, yellow, red, and black—can be purchased for 50 euros, 10 euros of which will then be donated to the charity Ein Herz für Kinder.
The installation was commissioned from Hörl by the German federal state of Hesse, who are in charge of the celebrations commemorating 25 years of German Unity this year. Hörl is internationally renowned for installations involving serial sculptures made of brightly colored plastic and displayed publically such as Mein Karl, Martin Luther: Hier stehe ich, and Richard Wagner. He is currently a professor at and president of the Nuremberg Academy of Fine Arts.
Hörl hopes that each visitor to Overcoming Borders is inspired to join the conversation surrounding Germany unification and that each statue purchased becomes a new ambassador. “However,” warns Hörl, “ we should not forget that a lot still remains to be done, that freedom, democracy, and respect are variable commodities that must be worked for, and earned, every single day, and by each and every one of us.”
Win your own Unity Man
On the deutschland.de facebook page we are giving away three of Ottmar Hörl’s Unity Men, from the original Frankfurt installation! Click here to enter.
www.facebook.com/Ottmar.Hoerl.Skulptur?fref=photo
www.tag-der-deutschen-einheit.de
