2017

auf Anfrage zugänglich

Haus für Kinder Hogenbergstraße 33, 80686 München

begehbarer Wandeinbau im Treppenhaus, Digitaldruck, lackiertes Birkenholz

Architecture: Färbinger Rossmy Architekten, München

Landscape architecture: Christine Stüber Landschaftsarchitektin, München

Photos: Franz Kimmel

For the Munich artist Matias Becker, the stairwell is a meeting place. So, for the daycare center at Hogenbergstrasse 33, he created a work of art that deals with this architectural element. Becker built a house just for the children and integrated it into the stairwell that connects the ground floor with the second floor. It is a literal representation of the German word for “stairwell,” which is Treppenhaus (“stair house“).

This is a ”house within a house,” on whose walls are staircases in the foreground, while behind is a landscape with a lake. All kinds of funny characters cavort in this landscape. Like little buddies, they accompany the children every time they climb the stairs. The artist is probably thinking about the fun involved even in absurd encounters: a little origami squirrel and a polka-dotted octopus get together in order to paint a landscape with a gigantic brush. But you can also find a ladybug dancing with an umbrella, or a wind-up parrot, or an airplane hanging in the sky.

The individual motifs are printed on a single plate, then jigsawed out, and, like an oversized wooden puzzle, reinserted into a background plate. The lines where the pieces have been cut out remain visible and tangible.

Whereas from the outside, Becker’s installation suggests a colorful landscape, the inside conceals a hiding place for children that is like a cozy cave with soft matting on the floors. One of the three round openings in the walls is equipped with curtains, which turns it into a stage for puppet shows. So: curtain up on the exciting encounters in the “stairwell”!