Visiting Susanne A. Schalz’ studio. Part 2

Susanne A. Schalz’ “SkulptRuhr”. A winding tower „on the road”

Together with Susanne A. Schalz, we are sitting at the huge table in the sunny atrium of “Magazin Gladbeck”, drinking hot tea and nibbling some fine biscuits from Switzerland. She brought them from Switzerland, as well as the many new colours that she has just bought. For her current concept with a tongue-twister title: “SkulptRuhr”. Sculpture and Ruhr.

“These are Lascaux colors. Powerful and colourful. Look at that vibrant red.” Susanne A. Schalz is very happy. Because in front of her, on the table, there are a lot of bottles with new colours. Powerful, intense, highly pigmented and highly light-resistant. Weatherproof. And this is particularly important for Susanne A. Schalz. Because now it’s time for her art to go outside. It’s time for something new again. And everything in her studio is ready to get going.

For her new concept, Susanne A. Schalz has left the two-dimensional canvas. Her art is now becoming three-dimensional. But of course, it remains as colour intensive as her painting on canvas. Susanne A. Schalz paints sculptures whose characteristic and unique shape she has developed especially for this purpose.

The “Buddy Bear” actually stood at the very beginning of this idea at some point. In fact, originally for the city of Berlin, the two artists Eva and Klaus Herlitz, in collaboration with the Austrian artist and sculptor Roman Strobl, had designed a series of bear figures, which were then individually designed by numerous artists, not only in Berlin, but also internationally. The „Buddy Bear” went out into the world and became a landmark and recognition motif for a city. And this implies, what worked right for a city, must be possible for an entire region as well. And even more for a region with a very distinctive profile.

No bear for the Ruhr area. But a “Doppelbock” (no, that’s not an animal!).

And what could be more typical for the Ruhr area than coal? What could be more characteristic than a winding tower? For Susanne A. Schalz, the motif was within reach, almost around the front door. It had to become a so-called „Doppelbock“ (of note: „Bock“, in German also means „male goat“). In fact, the “Doppelbock” is a true classic of mining technology. For all the respective collieries and communities, the striking high towers have become monuments and landmarks.

Now, after a good two years of development, the „raw shapes” for the sculptures are in Susanne A. Schalz’s studio, waiting to be designed. Still carefully wrapped in air cushion foil, one winding tower shape has already been unpacked and is almost primed. A large sculpture made of fibreglass-reinforced plastic, a stable material of which boats are also made. This basic form has been designed by Susanne A. Schalz herself. Actually with a kind of a sewing pattern. By the way, Susanne A. Schalz is very familiar with tailoring. Because a classic tailoring apprenticeship was the technical preparation for her design studies. She developed a pattern in original size, which became then the basis for the model builder, who transformed it into this striking large shape, which now stands in Susanne A. Schalz’ studio, not only one, but in a row.

A stylized winding tower

Like a big „A”, with a second long crossbeam at the top. Susanne A. Schalz has been working on the concept of her “SkulptRuhr” for some time now. In the course of her development work, she was very concerned that her abstract form was not as clear and familiar to the public audience as it was to her, in her mind. “Can anyone recognize it immediately? Sometimes you are somehow too deep in it. I have worked on this idea for really a long time. And in the end, there is a bit of a lack of external view.”

But there was no need to feel concerned. The shape works well, especially when the audience is confronted with a painted “sculpture clock“, in final design. „Yes, of course. That’s clearly a winding tower.” Susanne A. Schalz is quite relieved when she gets this spontaneous comment shortly before the official unveiling of her first “SkulptRuhr” for the city of Gladbeck. Not from the mayor himself, but from the caretaker, who is helping to set up the ceremony. Not only for the people in the Ruhr area, for whom winding towers are a familiar sight in the landscape, the form is immediately clear.

A tall slender form on two stable “legs”, with a crossbeam, which stretches upwards on one side, almost as if this shape were dancing, at least stretching out highly into the air. Actually, the winding tower has a lot of momentum of its own, is no longer just heavy and strong, but dynamic, powerful and in motion. As a „blank“ or „raw sculpture” that still has to be painted, the form is grey and large. A whole 2.20 meters at the highest point, and 1.70 meters wide at the high crossbeam, and no light-weight at all (a good sixty kilograms, to be exact), and from highly weatherproof material.

“Sculptruhr”. The first sculpture one is already exhibited. In Gladbeck, where else?

And of course, the SkulptRuhr sculptures are extremely colourful, just like Susanne A. Schalz’ paintings. The first large “SkulptRuhr” was actually commissioned by the city of Gladbeck. This first “SkulptRuhr” was just unveiled in January for the New Year’s reception of the city of Gladbeck: impressive, colourful, cheerful, with many different motifs from Gladbeck. There are, of course, the town hall and city coat of arms, the stadium and the local castle, but also the music school and the municipal gallery. History and present. This is exactly the combination which is important to Susanne A. Schalz. She definitely is not stuck in some kind of „Big coal past”, and certainly does not get lost in the sad melancholy about “times long gone by“, but strongly believes in a bright future for the Ruhr area. With new ideas, and lots of creative energy.

Susanne A. Schalz keeps the coal tradition in mind, and has a lot of respect for this industrial past. But much more interesting and important for her are the present and, above all, the future of the Ruhr area. She is interested in the power and creative energy that this region has today. For tomorrow. Not for yesterday. And she believes in the self-confidence with which the Ruhr region can present itself. Beyond coal dust and coal miner nostalgia.

With a lot of creative energy. Susanne A. Schalz has also included her “Gladbeck Magazine” in her first “SkulptRuhr” for the city of Gladbeck. Because this place belongs just as much to the life of the city as all the other places where people live and work, actively shape their lives. And this first large “SkulptRuhr” should not remain the only one, but – quite the opposite – should be able to stand for many places in the Ruhr area. As a “blank” and basic form for many colourful Ruhr area facets, figurative or even abstract.

“SkulptRuhr”. Promotes a metropolitan area

The „SkulptRuhr(s)” are by no means intended to “conserve” the territorial past, but – quite the opposite – to be an expression of a highly lively, dynamic present. And they should work as an ambassador for the entire Ruhr area. Similar to the Buddy Bears, and the job they did for Berlin at the time. „SculptureRuhr. Promotes metropolis,” the subtitle says. And that’s exactly the goal.

The Ruhr area is not Berlin, but certainly a strong metropolitan region. Berlin has been described as “poor, but sexy,“ by Klaus Wowereit, the former mayor of Berlin. He decribed his city in 2003 with this remarkable slogan which quickly became a well-known buzz word, quoted throughout the world. Whether and how these words were really true or consistent has been discussed many times in the meantime. Whatever your opinion may be, it is certain that Berlin turned into a vibrant city “on the move” and has attracted many people ever since. And the Ruhr area is on its way as well. Into a new age, just after the coal era. As a whole region. Because now is the time for something new.

Now, at this very moment, Susanne A. Schalz is working on some new “SkulptRuhr“ figures. The artist wants to present her “SkulptRuhr” project in March. “Springtime 2019 at MAGAZIN Gladbeck.” Spring time with Susanne A. Schalz is definitely colourful. Vibrant and glowing.

Susanne A. Schalz. Springtime 2019 at MAGAZIN Gladbeck. Presentation of the SkulptRuhr on Sunday 24 March 2019. Opening starts 16.00.