After leaving Kassel Central Station, I saw this odd detail on a hotel roof: a diving platform! The explanation for this strange view: It’s public art with the title “Arschbombe”. Kassel is truly a hotspot for contemporary art. [German]
“Arschbombe” von Ralph Raabe
Ralph Raabe created this public artwork, which looks like a complete diving platform. “Arschbombe”, the German name of the work, refers to a colloquial term for a fun dive. In English, this dive is called cannonball.
When I saw this artwork in 2012, I didn’t understand the meaning on the spot. My take: Thanks to gravity you can’t see the cannonball that long. So the title describes something that has happened but is gone now. Just the diving platform still stands here as a silent witness of the “Arschbombe”.
Hotel Reiss in Kassel
The sculpture “Arschbombe” stands on the roof of Hotel Reiss. This hotel building dates back to 1952. It is an example of many other houses of Kassel, which arose in the 50ies. Therefore Kassel is a good place if you would like to enjoy the urban architecture of the first decade after WWII.
Sources / More info
- Link Description of the Documenta on Wikipedia