Greece

for Germany

The Greek work of art in Germany

The Greek work of art was installed in a square in the very heart of Heusenstamm. It is to be found at the beginning of a street called ‘Schloßstraße’ which is the connection between downtown Heusenstamm and the Heusenstamm castle.

The square is also defined by two emblematic buildings of Heusenstamm’s architectural history: The Catholic Saint Cecilia’s Parish Church and the archway itself.

The Catholic Saint Cecilia’s Parish Church was built in 1739 by well-known Baroque architect Johann Balthasar Neumann by appointment from Countess Maria Theresia of Schoenborn.

The archway was built in 1764 in form of a triumphal arch at the south end of the historical town center of Heusenstamm. It commemorates the German emperor Joseph II.

For the Greek team the idea started with the photo of the square. Indeed, a square is a place where we meet our friends. It’s a place where a lot of people spend their free time. This led the Greek pupils to the concept of friendship and that was what they wanted to share with their German friends. Τhe square is the meeting point of the people in a city. In a space defined by a restaurant and a church, the particular square seems to provide people with the opportunity to enjoy themselves and to relax.

The work the Greek team imagined is called "Under my Umbrella", it is based on an idea by Nikolas Skandalis but eventually all the Greek students worked on its development and realisation. The work evolves around the idea of the umbrella. The umbrella offers a feeling of safety and protection. These are usually linked to the concept of friendship.

The Greek team hand drew a story about friendship that was then numerised on pages that were placed on the floor as a path to walk on and follow to the end of the story.

The umbrella which can be seen at the end of the path is big and red; it covers and protects everything.

The umbrella is the only part with colour, and in particular red colour, because the Greek pupils wanted to stress its power: the feeling of protection and safety it offers.

The parts are plastic-coated so they can stand the weather conditions.

Work in progress