Heinz Ohff wrote in the Tagesspiegel at the time that he expected a new meeting point, “Off-Ku’damm”, to be created at Olof-Palme-Platz. In your opinion, has this hope been fulfilled?
The Olof-Palme-Platz attracts families and people who visit the zoo or the aquarium – unlike the Kudamm, which is more suitable for strolling and shopping. Since its inauguration in 1987, my fountain has been a kind of adventure playground; several generations of children have climbed on it – that makes me very happy.
What role did the memories associated with the place, its “psychogeography,” if you will, play in your work on the Ammonite Fountain?
Although I am very interested in the history of the former Kudamm section, which became Budapester Straße in 1925, it played no role in the work on the fountain. The square was only dedicated to Olof Palme four years after the inauguration.
On the one hand, I wanted to reference the immediate proximity to the aquarium and also wanted to create an irritating moment with the very straight, linear, functional and smoothly polished facades of the surrounding buildings, which were in keeping with the taste of the time. There is not a single right angle in my well.
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And while the surroundings appear austere and a bit varnished, the large graphite-colored slate mountain describes a random scene at first glance. There is absolute order in the chaos here. The fountain’s surround describes a fossil ammonite. Around 200 individual sculptures (slate, bronze, granite) come together in an opposite movement to form an overall formation.
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And while slate often has fossilized impressions of the inclusions, this one is fractured at a depth of 160 meters, where it is harder, more compact and monochrome. The fossils lie as bronze prehistoric animals between the floes and point to prehistoric life as early organic life forms.
How do you like the current architectural border of the square, especially with a view to the replacement building for the former Volksbank headquarters, which really characterizes the square, with an angular, dark facade instead of the warm, bright and round one? In your opinion, does your fountain continue to look good there?
Cities change, that’s part of it. I didn’t find the former Volksbank headquarters to be particularly architecturally valuable. Both the new office building and the converted DIN headquarters appear much more contemporary and do not affect the effect of the fountain in any way.
How do you see the traffic situation at Olof-Palme-Platz? Could something be improved there in terms of quality of stay – also with a view to the first question about Heinz Ohff’s hope for a meeting point – and, if so, how from your point of view?
In order to “calm down” the place a little, the level was lowered a little, and that has proven successful. In any case, it is important for the quality of the place that it is well maintained: intact benches, pleasant greenery, a regularly cleaned fountain with running water so that everyone who visits can feel comfortable.
What do you think about plans to build another, much larger high-rise building there instead of the Europacenter parking garage?
I don’t see the size of the proposed high-rise as a problem. However, I regret that another yawningly boring block is planned right in the heart of the city, which in no way does justice to the vibrant modern city.