Flying. Distance. Arrival. Departure. My outdoor sculpture "Birdman" in Raiding – where composer Franz Liszt was born, draws a contextual arc to the neighboring Storkhouse by Terunobu Fujimori. It is also a milestone – bipolar if you want, at the inner European threshold between East and West near the former Iron Curtain. One half of the face thoughtful, prudent, eyes closed. The other cheerful and open looking towards the west.

I have been working for 15 years on a project called “Cloud of Humanity –„Menschheitswolke“. It is a collection of 15,000 miniature clay sculptures, each individually formed by hand, sometimes only a few centimeters tall. One of those figurines became the blueprint for the metal cast “Birdman” in Raiding.

As long as the clay figurines are protected from water, they can be reassembled anywhere – like a swarm of birds or fish or insects that constantly changes its formation. What I discovered was, that varying distances between the figurines creates different emotions. Close together – quite aggressive, like a marching army. Spread out – playful and curious. Same with humans. Where there are differences, there are separations. But separated we cannot exist, and if we do it leads to fear and fear to extremism and in the end – war.