Renate Kordon :
Secondary School Gerasdorf

The idea for this kinetic sculpture arose from very didactic requirements: to take the energy obtained on the roof of the school by means of a windmill and sun modules and transform it into a work of art, thereby making it more visually comprehensible. The special thing about the Windwaage was that the transformation of the transient natural forces into a mechanical achievement should be presented very concisely, so that the physical effect is also immediately transcended again and becomes a non-mechanical, purely aesthetic phenomenon. The electricity produced by the windmill is first of all conducted into the physics class, where it can be observed on a measuring device, and then runs on to the Windwaage, in which a small motor powers the up-and-down movement of the cubes. The tower itself consists of four extremely slim stainless steel stands, which are stiffened crosswise by means of fine round stainless steel rods. Gliding up and down on these stands are two metal cubes, open on the top and the bottom. These cubes are connected to each other by means of closed linkage operated by deflection pulley. The broader cube travels along the outside on the supports, the higher one inside. In the upwards and downwards movement they interpenetrate each other, keeping themselves in balance, while in the movement of the coloured, overlapping grid surface they form a moving Moiré image. What arises is a very meditative optical effect, reminding one of the flickering of a watery surface or of a television screen. This 'film image' can be viewed particularly well from the large playground on the first floor of the school building. The colours of the cubes are bright turquoise (outside) and light yellow (inside). Overlapping produces a virtual mixing of colours, blending towards grass green. The Windwaage stands, somewhat staggered, in front of the main entrance to the school and has been shifted slightly out of the axis of the trees towards the street so that it also designates the place for passing motorists. Windwaage makes a gracious and weightless impression and gives the building and its surroundings a spacious dimension. Energy-conscious, complex technology is transformed – moved into the air by the air – into a subtle, playful aesthetics.