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Architects: Kollektiv Plus X, Stefanie Rittler
- Area: 16 m²
- Year: 2024
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Photographs:Kollektiv Plus X
Text description provided by the architects. Pier ½ is a sculptural cyclists’ shelter on the “Iron Curtain Trail” - a cycle path along the former Iron Curtain. In Lower Austria, a series of works of art are being created along the route as part of the “Super Natur” project. Pier ½ was inaugurated in Angern an der March in June 2024.
A half-cloud-shaped staircase invites you to enjoy the view - the view towards Slovakia, on the other side of the former Iron Curtain. Imaginary, it continues on „the other“ side, borders are overcome - over the biotope and the river March. Pier ½ as a symbol of a remnant of a former bridge? Or a staircase to heaven?
Cyclists can find shelter in the room under the stairs - benches and a table in a dry room invite you to take a break and protect you from wind and rain. Aesthetically located in the postmodern era, which reached its peak in the late 80s and early 90s - when the Iron Curtain fell - but covered with wooden shingles that give it a traditional look at the same time.
Stefanie Rittler and Sascha Henken from Kollektiv Plus X collaborated with each other in 2017 on “Waiting For Water” in Amsterdam and “The Winner Takes It All” in Bremen. Usable, interactive sculptures that draw their inspiration for content and form from their surroundings - but always with a wink in their eye. Here on the Iron Curtain Trail, too, their work is inspired by the history of the place and adapts to the conditions of the terrain. A staircase as a gesture of connection and simultaneous separation. Kollektiv Plus X is a design and urbanism collective based in Halle and Leipzig, Germany. Stefanie Rittler is a photographer and designer based in Munich and all over the world.
