“An enigma wrapped in oak” That’s the most fitting description for the Spielplatzpokal Sculpture. It and others stand silently in Hamburg. These wooden figures carved by Stephan Balkenhol have defined Hamburg’s waterscapes since 1993. These sculptures are mounted on shallow water barrels. You can find them at four different locations in the Hanseatic city.
These average-looking fellows wear black trousers and white shirts. They inevitably attract the attention of passers-by. After about seven months on the water, the artist takes them back. This happens every autumn when the buoy-men start to look a bit pale. They go to their winter quarters in the Stackmeisterei on the Finkenwerder river island for a little upkeep.
The Spielplatzpokal Sculpture, along with the Vier Männer auf Bojen, were each carved from an oak trunk. The figure and the base are a single piece of wood. Each sculpture is 2.40 meters high. Each weighs nine tons including the bases. They are mounted on wobbly buoys chained to stone anchors beneath the waves. This leaves them bobbing atop the water. They seem unconcerned with the goings-on around them.
Their expressions strengthen this impression. If you can get close enough to see, they are stoically calm. The statues have a serene peculiarity because of their total lack of pose and gesture. Balkenhol deliberately made them appear blank. He intended for the figures to be contradictory. They bob uncontrollably on the one hand. Yet, they appear completely unconcerned on the other. Thus, the figures remain deliberately distant, anonymous, and enigmatic.
According to Balkenhol, his sculptures do not tell stories. There is something secretive hidden in them. It’s not his job to reveal it. It’s the viewer’s job to discover it. From March to October, you can see the four buoy-men at aquatic locations throughout the city.
You can find them in the Elbe near Övelgönne in Altona. Another is in the Serrahn in Bergedorf. One resides in the Outer Alster Lake. The last is in the south Elbe near Harburg. Many others of Balkenhol’s statues can be seen year-round throughout Hamburg. This includes in front of Hamburg’s large public library in the city center. You can also spot them in front of the Hagenbeck Zoo.
So, take a moment to appreciate the Spielplatzpokal Sculpture. Let its serene peculiarity and enigmatic presence spark your imagination. What secrets do you think it holds? What stories do you see in its stoic expression? The answers, my friends, are for you to discover.