2024

öffentlich zugänglich

Oskar-von-Miller-Ring Nähe Haus-Nr. 35, 80333 München

Stahl, Edelstahl, Lack, L 900 x T 160 x H 400 cm
Studio Violet (Projekt- und Produktionsleitung)

Landscape architecture: kübertlandschaftsarchitektur, München

Photos: Peter Neusser

Text: Dr. Monika Bayer-Wermuth

Galloping to a standstill. Alexandra Bircken’s “PS (Horsepower)”

The human desire to move more rapidly than one’s own physique allows is ages-old. For perhaps just as long, the horse – at least on land – has been the central means of fulfilling this desire. It is not entirely clear when humans first rode a horse, but evidence of this dates back to around 3000 BC. The relationship between man and horse is an exceptional one, characterized by both intimacy and dominance, and it has countless ramifications: from the war horse and work horse to the therapy horse. The history of the hobby horse goes back almost as far as the history of riding, with documentation of this going as far back as Ancient Greece. Once a popular activity for children and others, the hobby horse is now experiencing a renaissance even among adults. The term “hobby” itself – in both in German and in English – refers to and symbolizes special skills and passions.

This deep-rooted enthusiasm and the horse’s significance have also become symbols of auto-mobility: from the term “horsepower” to iconic brands such as the Ford Mustang and Ferrari’s Cavallino Rampante. Yet, what happens when one of these great symbols crumbles, collapses? When the proud or playful steed – whether made of flesh, wood or metal – can no longer gallop, lead or be led? What happens to the human-horse-machine relationship and to our belief in progress? Alexandra Bircken addresses precisely this form of moment in her work “PS (Horsepower)”, a sculpture of a broken miniature horse that now towers over the western entrance to the Altstadtringtunnel.

In Munich’s city center, Bircken’s sculpture now joins company with the numerous equestrian statues symbolizing power and progress. Yet, while Otto I of Wittelsbach in the Hofgarten looks down on passers-by from above with a condescending gaze, and Maximilian I of Bavaria on Wittelsbacher Platz relentlessly stretches his hand towards the sky, “PS (Horsepower)” does not indicate a triumph, but a standstill. The broken horse refuses to dominate. It remains neither a seat nor a throne, and it does not become a guardian of power. In its fracture, progress is exposed as an illusion; mobility and dominance lose their relevance. Only the hinge that connects the two parts of the sculpture hints at a possibility for transformation, perhaps through technology or a new perspective.

The exploration of the horse and its various meanings and embodiments –from a toy to a means of transportation to symbol of progress – characterizes Bircken’s sculptural practice. This exploration began in the late 2000s with works such as “Pferdchen” (2008), a rocking horse wrapped in a crochet net. It also finds expression in the trend-setting series of sawn-up and re-collaged motorcycles such as “Lop Lop” (2014) and “Interceptor II” (2016). The technically-complex sawn-up or rebuilt racing models reveal the inside of the machine, whose organ-like structure allows analogies to be drawn with the human organism. Humans and machines do not stand in competition to one another; rather, they are conceived as interlocking entities, such as in the human-horse relationship. The machine is constructed as a prosthesis, while the human being remains a slow and cumbersome creature without its mechanical extensions. Conversely, the absence of a human body implies a standstill for the machine, a void waiting to be filled.

The positioning of “PS (Horsepower)” in a high-traffic area reinforces this reference. Drivers look out of their powerful vehicles at the broken horse, which also symbolically marks the end of the combustion engine. The organic man-machine relationship as it was conceived in the 20th century recedes into the background. What will take its place remains to be seen; perhaps the neighboring State Ministry for Digital Affairs is already working on an answer. In any case, the employees standing at the window were already giving the sculpture a thumbs’ up during its installation.

Bircken’s broken horse not only marks an end; it also invites us to think about new beginnings, for machines, power and people.