Symbiose XXI
Franziskanerkloster,Oststr./ Klosterstr., Düsseldorf, Germany 1997

organization: Farbfieber   co-operation: Franziskanerkloster Artists: Juan Garcia Milo, Cuba, Klaus Klinger

Düsseldorf

Franziskanerkloster

Klaus Klinger und Pater Franz-Peter

Düsseldorf, Monastery of St Francis
The first contact to the monks of St. Francis was established through a project with homeless people, a street journal called „fifty-fifty“. Contradictory to early drawings inside churches, it was obviously quite new for the monks to challenge the public with a monastery mural. There is a relationship between the mural and the monks’ work; indeed St. Francis composed the verse „Sunrise“ in respect to nature and creation. Within the monastery there is a shelter for the homeless and an open kitchen for the poor. Still, the mural was an experiment for the church community and for residents. The content of the draft mural was developed together with the Department of Environment, environmental NGO’s and the monks. As a result, on the one hand, the mural contains aspects of St. Francis’ ”Sunrise“, and on the other hand, it contains aspects of the destroyed nature – for instance, the dying forests and environmental disasters through airport construction.

tree

The ongoing artificial relationship to nature is symbolically reflected through a „Tamagotchi”, which escapes from its prison. An outreaching plant with a human face symbolises a new start towards interaction between environment and mankind.
The project is located in a lively place and therefore received a lot of feedback. Many people in trains, busses and cars pass by and enjoy the mural while waiting for a traffic jam to disperse. Even visitors of the church passed many positive reactions.

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