Sylke von Gaza

Project "Il Nido", Gedächtniskirche, Berlin 2019

“Il Nido im blauen Schein des Hohlen Zahn”

The installation Il Nido by the artist Sylke von Gaza stopped in spring 2019 in the Berlin Gedächtniskirche at Breitscheitplatz. As the highlight of the stay in the architectural ensemble of the church designed by Egon Eiermann, Il Nido rested hanging freely in the old tower ruin ("Hohler Zahn"). At the invitation of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation and paris of the Gedächtniskirche zu Berlin, the installation was ceremoniously opened at a vernissage on Saturday 27 April 2019 (Gallery Weekend Berlin 2019) and remained open to the public at this special location until Pentecost. This continued the journey of the nest, which had begun in 2017 in the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute in Venice as part of the Padiglioni Paralleli of the Biennale.

Driftwood collected piece by piece from the beaches of the Venetian lagoon with the help of an old fishing boat forms the starting material for the large nest. In it lie five azure-opal iridescent, mouth-blown Murano glass eggs. They were made with the help of the glassmaker Silvano Signoretto in the over 1000 degree hot kilns of the Studio Berengo (Glasstress) on the world famous glassblower island Murano.

The project "Il Nido. A Pilgrimage towards Equilibrium" provides the conceptual framework for Sylke von Gaza’s wandering installation. The story of an inner transformation with the goal of self-knowledge is told. The wanderings of the nest should make this abstract concept tangible. With each stop, Il Nido enters into dialogue with specific aspects of such an inner development. At the starting point of the journey of the nest in Venice were the aspects of origin and salvation. At the second stop of the art installation in Berlin, the artist is interested in the aspects of peace, dialogue and reconciliation that are so central to the Gedächtniskirche.

Only a few buildings in Berlin bear witness to the turbulent history of the capital city to such an extent as the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Memorial-Church. The Berlin landmark tells of past monarchic pomp, of human suffering and great destruction, but also of hope, reconstruction and reconciliation. It stands as an international memorial against the horrors of war and for peace. At the request of the Berlin population, the ruins of the old Gedächtniskirche were not completely removed, but transformed into a new ensemble of buildings by the architect and visionary Egon Eiermann with a new church in blue Chartres glass, a small chapel and a modern bell tower. Through the untiring work of the community with its many volunteers, a new meeting zone was created on the island-like Breitscheidplatz. Suspended in the blue glow of the "fetching tooth", Il Nido was intended to provide an occasion to pause, to reflect but also to engage in dialogue.       

VIDEO: Coverage by German TV RBB Abendschau/ARD

Coverage by German TV RBB Abendschau/ARD (27 April 2019). (© RBB/Sylke von Gaza 2019)

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