Sculpture Gubener Hut in the roundabout

Artworks

Description

A bronze sculpture resembles in its form the original Guben wool hat by C. G. Wilke from 19th century. The artworks with diameter of about 1 m is located at the highest, central point of the roundabout. A piece of material is slightly protruding from inside of the hat.

Historical background

The long tradition of hat-making began with the settling of hatter Carl Gottlob Wilke in Guben at the beginning of the 19th century. As a result of his development of a weatherproof wool felt hat, his workshop quickly grew into a factory, giving rise to Guben's flagship hat industry. "Guben hats - known all over the world for their quality" accurately describes the international reputation and popularity of Guben hats, providing work for 7,000 people before the outbreak of World War II. After the war, despite the nationalization and mergers of previously private companies, hats from the factories in Guben continued to be sold worldwide. At the turn of 1990, after a profound system change and other trends already dominant in fashion, the hat industry collapsed. In 2000 the last hat was produced in Guben.

The sculpture of Gubener Hutkreisel also refers to the cloth industry existing from the 14th century, which, like hat making, significantly shaped the economic development of the city on the Neisse River.

“When in 2006 I was commissioned to design the Guben roundabout in a sculptural manner, I remembered the industrial tradition of the city. Hat-making-a hat and cloth-making-drapery gave me the idea of combining these two elements into one whole. The form of the material and the color enter a dialogue with each other and give the bronze sculpture a charisma" - Gisela Hörning-Schäfers.

Information about the artists

Gisela Hörning-Schäfers

Born 1940 at Messinghausen, Westphalia (Germany)
1958: Studies at the Folkwang School in Essen under A. Wamper
1972: self-employment in Paderborn
1974: beginning of individual and collective exhibitions
1982: moving to Berlin
From 1986: independent artist working predominantly on public works contract; many works are public and private properties; exhibitions were held both domestically and abroad.

Address: Pückler Str. 19, 14195 Berlin