Graffiti art in the NEUEHEIMAT
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NEUEHEIMAT in Illertissen presents itself as an extraordinary location that combines work, life and leisure. And according to ttv Managing Director Harald Nitzschke, art objects cannot be missing as an inspirational element.
The first large work of art is the work of the young graffiti artist Philip Walch from Laupheim, who was commissioned to design a wall measuring over 7 x 3 m in the administration area of ttv. The idea of portraits of Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King and Frida Kahlo came from the goal of creating a work of art of people with great life achievements.
Despite her physical and mental suffering, Frida Kahlo became Mexico's most important painter and was officially declared a national treasure. Early on, she took a stand against racism with revolutionary zeal and emphasised her indigenous roots.
Martin Luther King has always been associated with a political statement that has lost none of its relevance to this day. He is considered one of the outstanding representatives of the non-violent struggle against oppression and social injustice, and between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s he was the best-known spokesman for the Civil Rights Movement, the US civil rights movement of African Americans.
And last but not least, Ulm-born Albert Einstein, considered one of the most important theoretical physicists in the history of science and the world's best-known scientist of modern times. His research on the structure of matter, space and time as well as on the nature of gravity significantly changed the previously valid Newtonian world view.
We talked to Philip Walch about his art and what particularly motivates him in his work.
Philip, who came up with the idea of the philosophical triad as a motif?
Well, after creative discussions with Harald Nitzschke, we came up with the idea of following this path together. After all, it should not only be art for art's sake, but also to animate and inspire the staff in their daily work.
How do you imagine the creation of an object of this enormous size?
The idea was created as a sketch in several layout stages and then projected onto the wall surface in its original size by beamer after approval by ttv. This gave a good impression of the effect and dimensions. For other commissions, I worked freely by hand or according to grids. I worked about one and a half days per portrait for the graffiti artwork in the NEUEHEIMAT.
And how do you go about spraying the graffiti?
The actual realisation as a graffiti artwork is done with very different spray techniques. I usually apply the dark colours first, then the light colours, and work my way down from the top to avoid splashes of colour. Complementary accents in red, yellow and blue create fascinating contrasts with an incredibly surreal radiance on the artwork in the NEUEHEIMAT. In realising this work of art, it was an advantage that I was able to work during the shell construction phase, Philip adds with a grin.
Philip, tell us briefly how you came to spray...
I've been spraying for about 10 years and, like many of my graffiti colleagues, it started as an exciting hobby. I learned the techniques and developed my art autodidactically with each graffiti. Since last year, my works have attracted more and more attention and the commissions from companies, municipalities and private art enthusiasts have increased significantly. That's why I took the step into self-employment in the spring and work under the artist name Stone Graffiti.
Do you have any particular preferences when it comes to motifs?
No, in fact every job offers great scope for creativity. From Disney cartoons in children's rooms to stage designs to the latest work, a huge graffiti for the Neu-Ulm public library, everything is there.
And as we have heard, another commission will soon follow in the NEUEHEIMAT?
Yes, the commission comes from the advertising agency that has worked for ttv for many years. VMA will also be moving to NEUEHEIMAT at the end of the year and would like to have a large work of art designed in its rooms there.
We can be very curious to see what staging the VMA creative Hannes Spindler will come up with together with Philip Walch. In any case, it will be a great enrichment for NEUEHEIMAT.