Max Bühlmann :
Erika

The ferry Erika had connected the community of Klein-Pöchlarn with Pöchlarn on the opposite bank of the Danube for many years, representing an important channel of communication for the local population, until a newly erected bridge made it redundant. The sculpture Erika with its specific location on the former mooring is now intended to remind people of the ferry: situated between the river and dry land, the 5 x 10 metre floating platform is linked to the bank by a walkway. Six vertical beams rise above this, connected to one another and also to the surrounding parapet they are bound together to form a sculptural construction. The sculpture is not intended 'merely' to be viewed in the normal sense, but also to promote communication and activity. Communication and the possibility for a specific perception are accordingly also the basic themes addressed by this walk-on sculpture. The sculpture communicates with the viewers while also communicating with the setting, the natural environment. Erika encourages viewers to become physically proactive, so shifting the experience of the art to an active level, whereby users simultaneously become protagonists on the stage of art. During its use, i.e. as it is traversed, the perspective of the surrounding countryside changes, differently framed excerpts of the landscape promote a conscious perception of the familiar setting. Here, too, the users' movement and active participation are key. As a 'Place to Linger' (the title of an inspirational symposium organised in 2001 by Herbert Golser), the sculpture is intended to invite various uses.
(Elisabeth Priedl)