Blaustein is organizing an international stone sculptors’ symposium to mark its 50th anniversary in September. The town of Blaustein near Ulm is organizing an international stone sculptors’ symposium to mark its 50th anniversary. Six well-known sculptors will produce sculptures from the limestone that dominates the region. It was already being used 6,000 years ago in the Stone Age village of Ehrenstein, which is now part of the city. The limestone and […]

Blaustein is organizing an international stone sculptors’ symposium to mark its 50th anniversary in September.

The town of Blaustein near Ulm is organizing an international stone sculptors’ symposium to mark its 50th anniversary. Six well-known sculptors will produce sculptures from the limestone that dominates the region. It was already being used 6,000 years ago in the Stone Age village of Ehrenstein, which is now part of the city. The limestone and cement industry shaped the region in the 19th and 20th centuries. The theme is “Togetherness” – because Blaustein was formed in 1968 from the merger of the two villages of Ehrenstein and Klingenstein.

Dietmar Rudolf is the artistic director. The stone sculptor is an instructor at the Münsterbauhütte Ulm. Over the two weeks, the public will be able to participate in the creative process at any time and talk to the sculptors. The sculptures will then be set up on a sculpture trail in the city center. To accompany the BlauStein symposium, the city is offering group tours and stone sculpting and photography workshops for children and adults.

The jury selected six participants and their project designs from 157 applications from 47 countries. They are:

– Xiao Jucheng from China, who studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Guangzhou. He teaches in the art department of Putian University and heads the Institute of Sculpture in Fujian Province.

– Mario Lopes from Portugal, a graduate of the “Academy of Fine Arts” in Carrara, Italy, and of the Master’s program in Sculpture at the Tama University of Art in Tokyo. In addition to sculptures, he also produces paintings, prints and works on paper and exhibits mainly in Japan and Portugal.

– Hugo Maciel from Portugal, a graduate of the Fine Arts Department of the University of Lisbon, where he also obtained his doctorate. He makes sculptures in stone, wood, steel and polymer and participates in many international symposia.

– Helga Palasser from Austria is a sculptor with a passion for casting techniques. In addition to stone sculptures and clay works, she also creates ice, straw and hay sculptures.

– Nikolay Yotov was born in Bulgaria and graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia. He works mainly with stone and wood and is a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists.

– Zdravko Zdravkov from Bulgaria, also a graduate of the National Academy of Arts in Sofia and also a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists. He is a widely traveled symposium artist with stations in Oman, Qatar, Taiwan, Iran, Kuwait, India, and Palestine, among others.

BlauStein Symposium
September 17 to 30, 2018, daily 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Gravel parking lot between Bad Blau and Theaterei tent
Free admission

Dietrich Fink from Fink + Jocher talks about his encounter with a place of pure presence: the Chennanna Basti columned hall.

Hall of Columns, Chennanna Basti
Dietrich Fink
1667 AD.

In their book “Reminiscence”, Benedict Esche and Benedikt Hartl portray the special relationship between building and architect. There, pioneering architects have their say, writing about their architectural influence and its impact on their own work. Here, Dietrich Fink from Fink + Jocher talks about an encounter with a place of pure presence:

“A friend who teaches at Bangalore’s art academy took me to Shravanabelagola years ago. The small mountain near the town is a sacred place for the Jains. More than a thousand years ago, a statue was carved out of the rock at the top of the mountain. The force of the almost 20-metre-high Gomateshvara statue and the magic of its spiritual worship are immense. However, I was even more fascinated by a pillared hall, built as a meeting and prayer hall, which is somewhat hidden but not far from the statue. At first glance, it resembles Hellenistic models, but it is devoid of any artificial transformation. Without any mediation, the horizontal stone beams are confronted with the unevenness of the terrain. I spent the rest of the day in the shadow of the roof, a place of pure presence, far removed from any narrative idea.”

You can find more information about the book here