Christiane Möbus

born 1947 in Celle, lives in Hanover and Berlin.

Visitors to House 1 of the Jakob Kaiser Building first of all enter a spacious hall. From the ceiling of the hall Christiane Möbus has suspended four rowing boats – racing eights painted yellow, red, black and blue – which slowly ascend and descend through the space. As each boat follows its own rhythm and speed, the constellation of boats changes constantly. This work can be seen as an allusion to the many rivers and lakes in Berlin, in partic­ular to the River Spree which flows directly by the building. The opening in the floor of the hall makes it seem as if the basement is in fact a pool, with the boats being low­ered only as far as the surface of the water.

While the four rowing boats echo local geographical features, they also recall the traditional boat race fought out between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge: a well-known symbol of democratic compe­tition between equals. The dance-like rhythm of these brightly coloured boats travelling through the air gives the entrance hall a lively atmosphere, but also serves to remind us of the link between competitive sports and pastimes, and – in a building where different parliamentary groups have their offices – of the liveliness and fairness of political debate.