Monday, May 30, 2011

"Please wait a minute" - A sculpture by Andreas Rimkus for the world's religions made of stainless steel from ThyssenKrupp Nirosta

Five billion people are followers of one of the six world religions. But what are they all about? That's something most people will have asked themselves at some point. One of them is the German artist Andreas Rimkus from Springe in Lower Saxony. He transformed his ideas and his concept into the sculpture "Please wait a minute", which he made using stainless steel provided by ThyssenKrupp Nirosta. It is currently on display in "Platz der Weltausstellung" (World Expo Square) in Hanover, where it was officially unveiled in the presence of the artist by the President of the German UNESCO Commission, Walter Hirche, by provost Martin Tenge, Spokesman of Council of Religions, and the Mayor of Hanover, Stephan Weil. Over the next few weeks the sculpture will be on show in various other parts of the city before embarking on its first long journey to Aachen in September, where it will be displayed at RWTH Aachen university as part of the 10th International Conference on Technology of Plasticity, ICTP 2011.
In the past the artist has already created several works using stainless steel from ThyssenKrupp Nirosta. "This valuable material allows me to realize my designs in a very special way. The works are intricate yet robust to allow tension-filled combinations," says Rimkus on his choice of material. The idea is that the new sculpture will be displayed in public places where people have to wait, such as public squares, train stations, airports and hospitals. Wherever people often have to spend several hours waiting, a work such as this provides "meaning".

Outwardly, its appearance is shaped by the six symbols of the major world religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Baha'i). People can stand in the middle of the stainless steel sculpture and by touching various sensors immerse themselves in an unknown world. Similar to an audio book, visitors can hear about the most important teachings of the individual religions and discover that all religions pursue the same basic goal: peace. The texts were written by the Council of Religions in Hanover. They provide a brief introduction to the various religions and are available in different languages. The artist's next project will also be made of stainless steel - a play fountain that can also be "played with" via the internet.
Krefeld-based ThyssenKrupp Nirosta is one of the world's leading manufacturers of flat-rolled stainless products with a wide range of stainless steel grades, sizes and finishes. The company has several sites in Germany and employs around 4,200 people.

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