Ludger Gerdes, Schiff für Münster, 1987, 51°58'15.3"N 7°35'37.3"E

For the Skulptur Projekte held in Münster in 1987, Ludger Gerdes (1954–2008) realised his first large installation in public space: Schiff für Münster. His point of departure was the Kinderbach area on the periphery of the city as it merges seamlessly into its rural hinterland. In the middle of a meadow, nearby which a residential area has been since built, Gerdes erected a forty-three-metre-long island in the shape of a ship, flanked by a wall and surrounded by a moat. He planted two poplars on the island and, on the stern, he erected a wooden structure in the style of Greco-Roman temples. The shape and dimensions of the ship reference the busy inland waterways of the nearby Dortmund-Ems Canal and the surrounding moat alludes to the moated castles of the Münsterland. Gerdes effectively instigated an association with the immediate vicinity via the interplay of architecture, greenery and a watercourse.

In Schiff für Münster, Gerdes drew on an established ship metaphor, which he took to be emblematic of the unstable foundation of human knowledge upon which all values are predicated. Furthermore, his understanding of shipping and shipwreck metaphors was influenced by the theories of the Münster-born philosopher, Hans Blumenberg.¹ However, the precarious aspect of shipping is undermined by the ship on the Kinderbach on account of the firm anchoring of the brick hull and the association with inland shipping, which is notably far safer than seafaring – contrary to Gerdes’ understanding human knowledge does indeed seem to be “built on a stable foundation”.²

The columns that underpin the structure of the temple on Gerdes’ Schiff für Münster provide a link to his paintings and sculptures from the 1980s, in which he sought to explore questions of space and spatiality still further. As historical quotations, they evoke impressions of statics, order and equilibrium, which can be understood as an antipode to botany as a constantly changing, essentially imbalanced organic phenomenon. The result is a fascinating interplay of architectural components and nature that also finds expression in garden design. For Gerdes, the connection between nature and culture finds its apotheosis in gardens, as they stage a world in a similar way to artworks but render it accessible and thus become an exemplary model for communication through the combination of natural elements and artistic intent.³ In order to be able to shift this interpersonal discourse from art institutions into people’s everyday lives, Gerdes viewed public space as the ideal point of reference for and nexus of his works. His chosen location situated on the outskirts of Münster is seminal for the realisation of these aspirations. The art and cultural institutions in the city centre are thus bypassed and, as a result, the received cultural concept of self loses significance, whereas the immediate vicinity of the ship on the periphery accrues importance commensurately. Ultimately, any reference to the city centre’s cultural hub resonates solely in the orientation of the prow of his ship; originally with an unobstructed view, it points towards the Überwasser Church, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Lamberti Church, which, for Gerdes, embody the triumvirate of the monk, the bishop and the citizens as historic authorities and thus typifies Münster’s cityscape in a unique way. (Lisa Petersohn)