In early March a concept proposal was submitted for the competition “Ich bin so frei” for an installation in the Church of Zion in Worpswede.
17-06-001
the Church of Zion
(photo montage)
17-06-002
the Church of Zion,
close up
(photo montage)
17-06-003
The theme:
“Ich bin so frei” (literally “I am so free”, generally used to mean “I’ll take a liberty”) has become an everyday linguistic cliché. It is misunderstood as justification for transgression of a boundary, and thus takes on a meaning that is morally dubious. Stressing the first two syllables makes it an egoistic statement. Stressing the last two syllables, however, reveals a profounder meaning and makes a connection to faith. To state “Ich bin so frei” signifies fulfilment, not emancipation. It signifies freedom in something, not from something. It is an affirmation, not a negation. In this sense, the statement is equivalent to a confession of faith. It is confirmation that the message of salvation has been received. In a church interior, this context acquires meaning. The confession can be shaped into a visual “chorale”.
The implementation:
“Ich bin so frei” as an installation, or as the equivalent of a visual chorale, is related to faith by locating the visualisation in the focal point of the church. In the Church of Zion in Worpswede the focal point is the altar, where the pulpit and altar table meet, with reference to the eucharist. It is the point at which the attention and the contemplation of the faithful are concentrated. Here, the visualisation appears as a kind of emanation. Colour elements spread from here to the upper right, towards the side of the light. The elements represent much: the freedom of many persons is at stake. Thus the elements all have the same form but differ in their behaviour owing to their direction and the colour that they radiate. Blue is chosen as a spiritual colour. The scale of intense shades of blue creates a lively – and thus free – differentiation and harmonises with the colour climate of the church interior. The intention is that the image should “resound” visually.