STATICA
Acrobatic sculptures & performances on Statics and Dynamics in the Spreepark Berlin
ZKÖR - Center for Art and Public Space
Ella Ziegler (artist), in cooperation with artists from Circus Schatzinsel, Kreuzberg and a structural engineer
Only a few relics of the old rides, such as the Ferris wheel, the 360° cinema, the wild water ride and the mocha cup carousel, are a reminder of the past times as a famous amusement park. Inspired by the design of the Ferris wheel, the MERO roof construction of the glass pavilion, the load-bearing steel structures of the roller coaster and the rotating mechanics of the mocha cup carousel, we dealt with the physical forces of these static systems as part of a two-day workshop with artists from the acrobatics department of Circus Schatzinsel / Kreuzberg living sculptures developed.
The fascination with the rides of an amusement park is based on the physical borderline experience that we experience on a roller coaster, a carousel or a Ferris wheel. Fear of heights, dizziness and the simulation of free fall stimulate our senses and temporarily override our physical control mechanisms. Acrobatic movement and interaction challenge what is physically and physically possible, are based on creativity and body intelligence and stimulate body sensors that enable our orientation in space.
At the beginning of our two-day workshop, a structural engineer introduced the artists to the statics and mechanics of the technical constructions in the Spreepark. After this technical intro, in collaboration with the artists from Circus Schatzinsel, we looked at the statistics of the human body and its musculoskeletal system, which is also exposed to physical and mechanical forces. Through acrobatic sculptures and performative movement sequences, we could trace and explore the tensile, storage and compressive forces that act in the technical structures and constructions. Through the sensors in our muscles and tendons, we experience and sense the forces that stabilize the static systems and set them in motion.
The workshop focused on experimental and practical research of physical phenomena with the body and the observation of construction methods and static phenomena in Spreepark, Berlin. Scientific models and mathematical abstraction entered into dialogue with acrobatic and artistic perspectives.
