Kunststation Unter den Stangen

Seventeen stainless steel sentinels stand before you. They mark not time, but terrain, at the Kunststation Unter den Stangen. This art installation, created by Hans Dieter Bohnet in 1993, isn’t your typical sculpture garden. It’s an interaction with the landscape itself, a dialogue between art and nature. The Kunststation Unter den Stangen was part of Stuttgart’s contribution to the International Garden Exhibition (IGA ’93). These 8 cm thick poles, stretching 80 meters across the Wartberg hillside, are more than just metal in the ground. They’re measuring sticks, each one reaching 308 meters above sea level. Imagine workers meticulously surveying the land, then simply forgetting their tools. These “forgotten” markers create a ghostly presence, a visual echo of the process that shaped this amphitheater-like slope. Each pole is painted in alternating red and silver meter-long segments, further emphasizing their role as measurement tools. Atop each pole is a polished stainless steel disc, engraved with “308.00 / Über N.N.” confirming their shared elevation. The Kunststation Unter den Stangen starts near a resting area, marked by a low concrete wall inscribed with a poem. This wall also serves as a poetry station, adding another layer of artistic expression to the site. From this highest point, the poles descend, some paralleling a small stream known as the Stangenbach, others encircling a grassy depression originally intended as a performance space. This “Veranstaltungsmulde” could seat 400 guests during the IGA ’93. It was equipped with a covered stage and large sunshades. Now, it sits quietly, a memory of past gatherings. The Kunststation Unter den Stangen encourages us to consider the subtle ways we interact with our environment. It reminds us that even seemingly simple acts, like measuring and marking, can become art when viewed through a creative lens. As you stand here, surrounded by these steel sentinels, you’re not just observing art, you’re participating in a conversation about our place within the natural world.