"Installations" in the City Centre.

"Yellow Arrow" outside the Schloss.

The city has played host in recent week to four "Installations" which are dotted around the various squares.  I cannot write here what I really feel  about some of these works, for fear of appearing unimaginative and completely out of touch, but I have photographed the works, and I will leave you to make up your own minds.  The vehicle to the right, has wrapped itself around a tree, and is called "Yellow Arrow."  I think it is a "Trabbi"  a limousine made in the former DDR.  It did attract some bemused sightseers, including me, and I did try to feel some liking for it, although I failed miserably. 

Below is "Caravan"  a dissected campervan,  with  the garden inside where the front room ought to be.   This piece had originally been standing near "Alex," a cafe, that like all continental cafes, spills out onto the pavement, with tables and chairs set out underneath brightly coloured sunshades.  This is a busy corner near the "Schloss," and "Caravan" was being used as a beer garden, so  was later moved to a quieter, less exposed place outside the Rathaus.  

"Caravan" with a garden in the front room.  The living tree in the background is not part of the Installation.

  

To the right in the above photo can be seen, in front of a window, a section of the Berlin Wall.   After reunification in 1991, many cities now display a section of the Wall together with a thoughtful, commorative plaque, and this Square in front  of the Rathaus is now called "The Place of German Unity."  The Rathaus is used for wedding ceremonies, so lets hope the bride and groom manage to stay unified for many years to come.

"Blue Arrow" living in harmony with a lamppost.

"Blue Arrow" above, has wrapped itself around a lamp post, and is being photographed by someone looking more professional than me with my "blog" standard  "Lumix TZ10."   I rather like this Installation, as it required some ingenuity it design and build, and I wonder if it was assembled in situ, or is the lamppost an integral part of the work?   To date, I have no news of the fate of the rider.

"Stadtmoebile" after having attached itself to a bicycle rack.

This is "Stadtmoebile,"  one of several similar Installations around the city.  I passed one near the "Kohlmarkt," and at first thought  that it had been left behind by the "Braunschweig Fire Department" after a fire practise.   This one is wound around a bicycle rack and was nice to touch, and I noticed that children liked to sit on it and stoke it ribs as if it were a anaconda.   There is no shortage of cycle racks in Braunschweig, and no cyclist was harmed during the making of this work.   

This account is somewhat  "tongue in cheek," and I am quiet able to appreciate what these artists may be trying to say, if they are trying to say anything at all.  Sometimes however, I am tempted to think about "The King's New Clothes."