Surya
The design “Surya” was designed and built by the University of Kassel and means sun, derived from “Surya Namaska”, the sun salutation. In this art installation, you will have the opportunity to perform the sun salutation, which is a sequence of twelve yoga poses and is practiced in the morning facing the sun. This exercise is good for the circulation and should give you energy for the day. Many people use the sun salutation as a warm-up exercise for yoga, as it moves all the muscles in the body. The yoga postures are repeated several times as a dynamic sequence of exercises and thus form a cycle that is to be reflected in the design. To do this, the twelve yoga poses were layered on top of each other, creating a form of circular movements that are small at first and then fan out further. This manifests itself in spiral-shaped slats.
Towards the sun
The art installation “Surya” is the path to mediation and the sun. The slats create different light effects with the help of the sun, depending on the time of day. You enter the art installation through a small entrance, which is deliberately intended to trigger a more intense transformation upon entering. You walk under the slats, which unfold from the entrance to the complete opening.
Finally, you reach a platform from which you can look out towards the sun rising over the mountains in the morning. This area is intended for meditation. The protective nature of the slats, which are located behind the meditator’s back, creates a feeling of security and safety. You can feel unobserved while feeling the open nature and meditating.
Acknowledgements
As part of the excursion week in May 2024, the design “Surya” was realized by the students and helpers of the University of Kassel. The spirals were manufactured using steam-bent wooden elements made of larch and mounted on the platform using AR technology.
Students: Meryem Demirel, Malin Dettke, Alina Ditenbir, Evelyn Kozlov, Adrian Sohl, Till Steyer, Sunijia Wang
Organization: University of Kassel, Department of Design and Building Theory, Prof. Mag. Arch. Marie-Therese Harnoncourt-Fuchs, M.Arch. Sarah Blahut, M.Sc. Harun Faizi, B.Sc. Vanessa Nadine Fricke
Many thanks to the generous support of the sponsors: Lidauer, Sägewerk Löberbauer, KFD and Fologram, as well as to the supporters Wolfgang Sparber, Ernst Beck, Hannes Reittinger, Florian Reittinger, Ulrich Gegendorfer, Dirk Jung, Leon Jung, Julian Lienhard, Georgia Margarita and Guido Brinkmann.
