Explanatory Report

With “Alzey bereit” as the guiding idea and motto, a phalanx of firefighters’ jets that repel and confine flames is depicted in abstract form. This phalanx visualises firefighters’ core competence of putting out fires. At the same time it represents a key image for all of the other tasks and activities of the fire brigade, which consist in combating dangers quickly and effectively. Rapidity and effectiveness are just as much part of the artistic execution as the process of extinguishing flames. The combined effect of several jets represents a collective procedure, the achievement of a team.

The image of the phalanx transmits signals. Members of the fire brigade receive the signal that “I belong”. Outsiders receive the signal “A team is at work here.” The function of firefighters is well known and has already been formulated and depicted many times. Here, however, a well-known story is newly told through its own aesthetic approach. 

This art object is not sited among flows of pedestrians but, on the contrary, in the focus of moving traffic. Its appearance from a distance is therefore a decisive criterion. The object is to be perceived from a distance and to make a strong statement – from all directions of road traffic, from the nearby roundabout, from the parking spaces and also from the windows of the building. This purpose is served not only by its considerable size, but also by its striking structure and colouring, which is distinct from its green surroundings yet at the same time harmonises with them. Above all, the object is conceived for changing points of view. It presents itself to the eye like a film, as it is usually encircled by arriving and departing vehicles.