Osdorfer Born

Competition to enhance the entrance areas of the social settlement Achtern Born 80-94, Hamburg-Osdorf, 2013

Before houses were marked with numbers, it was customary to distinguish them by symbols, characters or events that were associated with the building (eg from Erfurt: "House to the pigs conflict", "Home to the red rose"). For every house had something very individual. Residents could identify with it. Moreover, in many cultures, the entrance of a house, as a place of transition between interior and exterior, obtains special attention. He is provided with protective symbols (hand with eye against the evil eye) or sign of blessing ("C + M + B"), with salutations (Salve) or warnings (Cave Canem).

My work shall change the entrance areas, which have now been highly degenerated, into friendly reception areas – places of good wishes when entering or leaving the house. The work will have the form of a glass mosaic frieze, which begins as a welcoming gesture outside the front door and goes around the whole room.

On postcard-like fields (reference to the letter boxes!) motifs are shown, that will symbolize in one or the other way wishes for good luck. They will be proposed by the residents of each entrance for their house. That may be traditional symbols, amulets, talismans, but also personal things like the favorite teddy-bear, a wedding photo of the grandparents or even a tattoo.

The work shall be carried out as a glass mosaic, which will be executed by the residents themselves under my instruction and based on my designs. In recent years there has been a series of very successful community realizations of public mosaics, eg the work "Good luck!" by Arno Coenen in Cornelius Park, Heerleheide, Netherlands 2011. The identification and the pride of the residents on this artwork is very high so they take care of it and avoid damages.

Achtern Born 80-94, Hamburg-Osdorf: Entrance and facade, state Sept. 2013