Auf dem Gelände der JVA Stadelheim ist ein Gerichtssaal des Oberlandesgerichts gebaut. Der angrenzende Lichthof stellt eine Leerstelle dar, einen von oben belichteten, höhlenartigen Raum. In Anspielung auf Platons Höhlengleichnis wird...

light and shadow

Installation of wall painting and glass covering, which thematizes the search for truth in the criminal process: Changes in perspective allow for greater vistas. A courtroom of the Higher Regional Court is built on the grounds of Stadelheim Prison. The adjacent…

…atrium represents a void, a cave-like space lit from above. Alluding to Plato's allegory of the cave, the "concrete wall" becomes a projection surface of life, of reality or apparent realities and of the search for them. A horizontal, colored network of lines refers to the abundance of levels of experience, stages of life, influences of life. The "glass surfaces" to the courtroom are covered extensively with a white, calm, translucent veil. Wide sweeps allow views through.

Here, the aspect of finding the truth becomes clear: from the perspective of the court, connections only become clearer and more visible through closer inspection.

In the language of the allegory of the cave, it is a matter of deciphering the shadow images, that is, of finding the idea of the good, of recognizing the actual reality. In the artistic realization, the aspect that the view of things depends on the respective standpoint and/or state of knowledge is clarified by the change of position in the hall and by the proximity to the glass wall.

The closer you get to the glass wall, the more you can see through the density of colored lines.

In the atrium, the work "Light and Shadow" thematizes the simultaneity of depicted life colors, from light to dark. It illustrates the search for light and shadow that takes place in every criminal trial, for a truth that includes different perspectives.    

Realization 2015
Foil printing: Regler GmbH, Altenstadt/WN
Wall painting: Regina Kochs with the assistance of Katharina Hochhaus. Cologne
Photos: © Stefan Müller-Naumann + Regina Kochs