The roof of the Stadthalle is transformed into a work of art
Artist Larsen Bervoets and pupils from Chemnitz work together
Today saw the start of the artwork by Belgian artist Larsen Bervoets together with pupils from the Chemnitz school model on three roofs of the Chemnitz City Hall. Over the next few days, they will paint a total area of 1,000 square metres, creating a work of art that will give an important landmark in the city of Chemnitz a new face from the air. How long the painting will last depends on the weather - but at least three years.
Larsen Bervoets: "I have created a basic design that will be refined by the students on the basis of patterns that they have discovered and collected here in the vicinity of the Stadthalle. The challenge is that the design extends over three levels and we are constantly standing directly on top of the artwork. So we can't step back in between and simply look at the picture from a distance."
When the work is completed, guided tours will be offered in cooperation with the neighbouring hotels so that visitors can see the artwork on the roofs of the Stadthalle from above.
The project, entitled "Roofscape Landmark Project", is being realised by Larsen Bervoets with the local population and was launched in Gothenburg at the end of April. It is intended to creatively draw attention to the potential of roof surfaces. Lars Bervoets will be travelling to a total of six cities by the autumn. The colours and shapes are repeated in the individual cities and symbolise the diversity of Europe. The "Roofscape Landmark Project" is a joint endeavour of the European Creative Rooftop Network (ECRN), an initiative of various stakeholders from nine European cities with the aim of developing sustainable and innovative rooftop projects. Chemnitz has been part of the ECRN since 2021 and is a founding member. Under the title "Colourful Roofs Chemnitz", the aim is to record local roof areas and network local stakeholders and experts.
Larsen Bervoets (Antwerp, 1979) is a multidisciplinary and experimental artist. Over the course of his career, he has created several indoor and outdoor murals, worked on canvas or panels and made his own sculptures, installations and furniture. He is fascinated by the interaction between colour and space, combined with perspective, the human field of vision and the natural play of light and shadow. He can often be seen working in the strangest of places or in his studio on study models made from simple cardboard.
The works he brings outdoors (in the form of murals or works on canvas) are characterised by strict geometric compositions with lines, surfaces, shadows and graphic elements that give the impression of a "space". These creations are often complemented by colours and colour patterns that create the illusion of an additional dimension on a flat surface.
An ECRN project, funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
www.chemnitz.de/dachlandschaften
www.ecrn.city
www.rooftopedia.ecrn.city
