You don't have to "know" anything in order to "understand" this sculpture - just looking at the form, going around it and viewing it from different angles will allow it to have an effect on you. The way you experience it at that moment will be "right" - even though at another time it may appear differently to you.
A short description of the form may, however, deepen the experience of the interested observer. The sculpture is essentially built from two swirled forms - the first coming from the upper right and winding towards the front (1), and the other from the upper left, binding the back and the front (2). These meet in such a way that two spiral forms are created:
The first one joins the left and right and creates a classical spiral form, meeting at a point more or less near the surface of the form. (A).
The second joins together the front and the back in such a way that the meeting point is enlarged and is experienced as an opening: An open space is produced (B).
The two encounter points are rhythmically fluid, continuously bound with each other. The first is drawn rather linearly, the second more or less arises from the surface. Concave and convex surfaces here are not polar opposites, (as right/wrong, good/evil, black/white are often thought to be), but instead flow harmoniously with each other, so that at the point, where the form is both most strongly rounded and most hollowed out, no conflict occurs, but rather a breakthrough is achieved and an open space comes into existence. It is a space where something new, something unexpected can come into being.
Concave/convex, inside/outside, front/back, concentrated/disbursed, point/circle: the form is built from the rhythmic interposition of polarities. This is the origin of its name "Herzschlag -Miteinander" (Heartbeat- Together), because the heart is the organ, that brings both poles of the body, the head (round, involved in inner thoughts) and the limbs (linear in outward activities, effective through the exercise of the will) into rhythmic contact with each other. The power of the heart is the power of communication, through which the possibility of a meeting between two human beings arises - at one time meeting each other and coming together, another time creating space for each other.
This theme of meeting, of coming together, of human interaction is especially appropriate for the Bezirkshauptmannschaft, in its responsibility to integrate the needs of the individual into the larger community. Also, the location of the sculpture within the building mirrors this motif: it is place where many paths coming from all directions meet and cross each other.
The realization of this sculpture was also an occasion of "co-operation". After the completion of the design, the sculptor, Jennifer Kleinfercher, learned that she was expecting a child. Although dealing alone with the massive block of wood would have been impossible, the sculptor Peter Nöbauer enthusiastically and generously stepped in, and working co-operatively, they were able to bring the work to the point where she was able to bring it to completion. In this way not only was the sculpture itself brought forth, but it also engendered the many enriching experiences that are made possible through collaborative effort.
Special thanks are due to: the Social Services Office of Birkenhof bei Velden, which made available a studio and exceeded all expectations in helping with the delivery, placement and transport of the piece; Grabsteine Hoher, who contributed the stone pedestal that the sculpture rests on; and the team which was responsible for the renovation of the BH building, without whose trust and commitment the project would never have been able to start. A heartfelt thanks is also given here to those firms and the many individual people who contributed to the project.
Jennifer Kleinfercher, born 1976 in New York. B.A. in art history, Wesleyan University, CT. Educated as a sculptor at the Goetheanum in Switzerland, under the tutelage of the sculptor Christian Hitsch. Active as a freelance sculptor in wood, stone and bronze for both indoor and outdoor areas, also available to teach courses in Sculpture and Drawing. Exhibitions and projects in various countries, at the present time she is living and working in Seeboden and Trieste. Photos of her work are available on her website: jkleinfercher.net Contact jen@kleinfercher.com, Tel: 0043 (04762) 81546.
Peter Nöbauer, born 1948 in Innsbruck. 1973 MS in Sociology and Economics in Vienna, until 1986 in management at Voest-Alpine, Linz. Trained as a sculptor at the Goethean Studienstutte, Vienna 1993-2003 Architect and leader of the Center for Art and Social Encounter (Wieselburg). Active since that time as a sculptor and art therapist. Special interest in overcoming cultural borders through common artistic activity. Contact: Peter.Nöbauer@gmx.at Tel:(06998) 8456225