Cosmological Park & Kalenderplatz

Art can explain the world to us and at the same time point beyond it; it can illuminate connections and create new associations. The ensemble of works entitled »Cosmological Park«, created as part of the 1985 Federal Garden Show in the Britzer Garden, deals artistically with various aspects of astrology and physics. The focal point developed by the garden architects Jürgen Zilling, Clod Zillich and Jasper Haffmann is derived from the axial connection between the lake and Kalenderplatz, which also forms the centre of the park’s artistic design.

The Kalendarplatz is configured as a complex sundial that displays times, months, equinoxes, winter and the summer solstice. The shadow of the 14-metre-high »gnomon« installed in the middle of the square functions as a clock hand, while the elaborate metal inlays on the floor of the square symbolise the times, time periods and planets. The calendar square thus becomes a precise measuring and observation instrument for observing the movement of the sun and earth.

The other elements of the ensemble of works, including the »Rhizomatic Bridge« on the opposite side of the lake and the »Tableau of Memories« in the north, can be seen from Kalenderplatz. The »12 spears thrown towards the sun – 12 spears thrown after the sun« by the artist Susanne Mahlmeister, which flank the Kalendarplatz in the east and west, form a supplement to the sundial in terms of both content and aesthetics. The twelve steel rods, each installed at different angles and distances, take up the theme of shadows and symbolise the connection between heaven and earth.