Kaliberg Hannover-Empelde
Reconstructing Square Platform # 3 - 1974 - 2009
Claims 3 - pretty hill
Curator Kristin Schrader
12.09.2009 - 11.10.2009
Potash spoil heaps are dominant focal points that, as landmarks, help
shape the face of our regional cultural landscape. Visible from afar, they are
a reminder of an era of industrial history that was closely linked to
agriculture, especially sugar beet: a good example of how people dealt with
nature and their idea of cultivation. Today, potash mining no longer plays a
role. Instead, its relics form artificial highlights and - in conjunction with the
existing natural hills and mountains - bring movement to our landscape.
They are therefore among the special places that the "Hannover Garden
Region" adventure world has to offer alongside gardens, parks and
landscapes. Today the motto is "salt turns green", and by transforming the
spoil heaps, which have generally been unpopular up to now, new green
qualities are being gained step by step and a positive image change is
taking place. Potash spoil heaps are exciting places - especially in the
process of transformation, when the breaks before/after are still clearly
visible. So what could be more natural than to direct our attention here in
the 2009 garden year and to stage an artistic examination of the artificial
dump?
Viktoria Krüger
Curator of the Hannover Garden Region
Art and the beautiful mountain
It is a special event that a project by two artists could be realized
posthumously for Claims 3. On the plateau of the mountain rises a
monochrome gray cube, which with its rectangular shape not only stands
in opposition to the organic landscape, but partially covers it and thus
blocks the view. Following the development of minimal art, Square
platform # 3 by George Cup and Steve Elliott has architectural qualities
and is an accessible space. An interior space of around one square meter
can be reached via a narrow corridor. With a height of the sculpture of
1.70 meters, this only represents a viewing point for a few viewers. The
view instead congeals into a monochrome image that is determined by
two horizontal surfaces: that of the sculpture and that of the sky. During
their careers, the German-American artist duo Cup & Elliott have
produced works in various media in addition to minimal sculptures,
including paintings, sculptures, light objects and film works. Square
platform # 3 was reconstructed on the Empelde potash mountain
according to plans by George Cup. The sculpture was created in Upstate
New York in 1974, but was destroyed in 1987. The reason for this was the
death of Steve Elliott, for which Cup was held responsible. In the wake of
his indictment and almost twenty years in prison, the works of both artists
were forgotten. It was only after Cup's release that the first exhibitions of
their oeuvre were planned in Wolfsburg and Nordhorn, as well as
participation in Claims 3. George Cup, however, was not able to see their
realization. He died in New York in 2008.
Kristin Schrader