In May 2023 a proposal was submitted for an art-for-architecture competition for the Gänsberg nursery school in Ingelheim. In the outside area of the nursery, an interactive object is to be installed along a wall with a length of approximately 30 metres. The proposal entitled Ingelnatter consists of a snake in abstract form.
The Ingelnatter (“Natter” means adder, “Ringelnatter” is a grass snake) is a balancing installation for the children in Ingelheim. Balancing is a lot of fun for children of nursery age and at the same time important physical exercise. The Ingelnatter provides various levels of difficulty. Children can balance at heights of 10 cm, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 cm – depending on the volume of the snake’s body. The different heights are at the same time different challenges for climbing up and jumping down. The greater the height, the wider the platform. The effect of the zigzag line is to distract. It makes balancing more difficult but also more interesting. It stimulates the imagination and encourages children, for example, to count their steps.
At 27 metres, the Ingelnatter extends along almost the entire length of the space available for the art object. It flanks the wall of the building and accompanies the children as they walk along. In this way, walking the distance is made into a conscious act. It provides a great deal of variety and a lot of space. Many children can balance on it at once. They can even meet on the wider sections. In theory all of the children at the nursery school can stand on the Ingelnatter at the same time. This makes the Ingelnatter a communal platform that strengthens the feeling of belonging.
In addition to its functions of learning and play, above all the Ingelnatter has an aesthetic dimension. Thus, it introduces the children to art at an early age. The children are acquainted with the appeal of different lengths linked to different widths, heights, angles and zigzag shapes. The Ingelnatter not only measures out the length of the open space, but snakes through it. It winds elegantly around the trees and enlivens the space. In its colourfulness, it responds directly to the building to which it belongs.