2023-06-06 10:19:00
Water has always been Herbert Dreiseitl’s element – from the design of fountains to the design of veritable landscapes. “Water Landscapes” is therefore also the title of one of his publications. The Überlingen artist and landscape architect, who teaches as a professor at various universities, has long left a lasting mark around the world. Be it in a visually striking way, be it in an above all ecologically effective form – with the bodies of water at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin or rainwater management in Singapore.
Most recently, Herbert Dreiseitl, who has been a member of the Überlingen municipal council for the LBU/Greens parliamentary group for four years, appeared on Lake Constance with the impressive floating gardens, which became a magnet and one of the most attractive motifs of the state garden show.
Back to his roots as a sculptor
“With the current project, I’m coming back to my roots as a sculptor,” said Dreiseitl at the demonstration of a project that is unusual in various respects. The concept of a seasonal water for the Catalano Square in the US metropolis of Milwaukee on Lake Michigan reflects the four seasons with its four segments of water splashing and bubbling in different ways. However, a 1:1 scale model that Herbert Dreiseitl installed in Überlingen for a short time was also spectacular in order to refine details of the flow dynamics and to test them in practice.
Nine tons of wet clay model
For the tests, Dreiseitl rented part of the large hall on the Kramer site and brought his experienced team together. The experiment, which lasted a few weeks, required more than just a sophisticated scaffolding as a stable substructure. Dreiseitl had around nine tons of moist clay delivered as modeling clay from the nearby brick factory in Deisendorf, which was then returned to the factory for further use. The water artist and his team formed the meanders by hand for several cubic meters of water, which were fed by pumps for testing.
“In this form, it was unique for me too,” explained the man from Überlingen at a press event, shortly before he had the model dismantled once more. After all, the whole installation of the small water arena had a diameter of around 22 meters. With a few drops of color solution or floating cups, Dreiseitl made the flow dynamics and the speed of the water visible.
Students document the results with a laser camera
With a few simple steps, the curves were changed to achieve the desired effect. Because the liveliness or calmness of the water flow stand for the respective characteristics of a season. Students from Milwaukee digitized the desired result precisely with a laser camera.
“The city of Milwaukee and its region are strongly influenced by the changing seasons,” says the landscape architect. This fact was a starting point for the project in the state of Wisconsin. But the Seasonal Water should also become a strong symbol from a fundamental point of view.
“In times of the climate crisis, in order to draw new hope, the search for quality of life and finding meaning, you need strong symbols,” emphasizes Herbert Dreiseitl, “located in public places that radiate confidence for all residents.” Relief will be made of natural stone, covered by a curtain of metal tubes. An integrated light and sound installation is also planned.
Three years ago, Herbert Dreiseitl was commissioned to design and implement a new, attractive design for Catalano Square. The centrally located triangular park in the middle of the city is bounded by three streets and is intended to become a walkable space that is usable and attractive for all generations.
The Seasonal Water is also intended as a public art space that promotes creativity and inclusion and upholds the cultural heritage of economic history. An interesting link to the project and the model in the former Kramer hall is that the current owner of the Überlingen area, the Wacker-Neuson Group, has its US office in Milwaukee.
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