Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

Kunst am Bau

English translation:

architectural sculpture/art/'Kunst am Bau' percent-for-art scheme

Added to glossary by Helen Shiner
Aug 15, 2008 10:55
15 yrs ago
4 viewers *
German term

Kunst am Bau

German to English Art/Literary Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting
I've seen art on construction sites which seems to address the Bau aspect (but no google hits), as well as art in public, art in the public sphere, art in public spaces...
Any commonly accepted term for this.
One document I have the context is the heading:
Thorak, Wotruba and “Kunst am Bau” in Linz 1955
thanks in advance to all you art experts!
Change log

Aug 17, 2008 14:23: Helen Shiner changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/40542">davidgreen's</a> old entry - "Kunst am Bau"" to ""architectural sculpture/art""

Proposed translations

+3
3 mins
Selected

architectural sculpture/art

Hi David, this is generally called architectural sculpture, because it is generally sculpture that is afixed to building, but there are light sculptures and other things of a less sculptural tendency which might be better classed as 'art'. Perhaps your context will tell you.

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Note added at 5 mins (2008-08-15 11:00:49 GMT)
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"Architectural sculpture is a general categorization used to describe items used for the decoration of buildings and structure. The term encompasses both sculpture that is attached to a building and free-standing pieces that are a part of the architects design."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architectural_sculpture

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Note added at 4 hrs (2008-08-15 15:01:48 GMT)
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I had read your italics as a means to denote which words were to be translated. If, however, it means the name of a specific scheme as Stephen notes, then the equivalent scheme, or series of schemes, in this country since the 1940s is known as 'percent for art', the percentages varying dependent again on who is paying.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2008-08-15 15:05:31 GMT)
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The Arts Council of England endorsed ‘Percent for Art’ in 1988, as a means to integrate the work of artists into the planned developments of public space. Since then numerous council authorities across the country have adopted their own Percent for Art schemes. These schemes encourage developers to allocate a proportion (usually 1%) of the budget in any large capital project for spending on public art. It is an internationally used funding mechanism, often employed for commissioning contemporary artworks. Each council that adopts a Percent for Art scheme sets its own conditions of eligibility, which must be met for the money to be allocated. Cambridge City Council (CCC) adopted their Percent for Art scheme in July 2002, and it currently has the status of Supplementary Planning Guidance.
http://www.bgci.org/educationcongress/proceedings/Authors/va...

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Note added at 7 hrs (2008-08-15 18:06:20 GMT)
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It seems as if the Nazis had already cornered the Kunst am Bau thing from 1934! I presume this is what is meant here. I just can't for the life of me imagine Thorak getting state-funded public commissions post-war.

"Mit dem "Kunst-am-Bau-Erlaß" vom 22. 6.1934 mußte ein anteiliger Prozentsatz der Baukostensumme von Bauvorhaben in öffentlicher Trägerschaft für Werke der bildenden Kunst und des Kunsthandwerks aufgewendet werden. Dabei sollte zur Baukunst als "Sinnbild des Staatslebens" das "Kunstwerk nicht um seiner selbst willen als zwecklose Zutat, sondern sinnvoll in Beziehung zu dem Zweck des Gebäudes, zu den örtlichen Begebenheiten und zur Umgebung gebracht" werden.
Der soziale Aspekt des Erlasses (Punkt 5: Hilfe für notleidende Künstler) verstärkte die propagandistische Absicht, den NS-Staat als Förderer der Künste erscheinen zu lassen und verschleierte den Ausleseprozeß, der damit durch den öffentlichen Auftraggeber vollzogen werden konnte, und der sich besonders auf den Nachwuchs auswirken mußte."

http://kunst.gymszbad.de/nationalsozialismus/architektur/spe...

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Note added at 7 hrs (2008-08-15 18:30:07 GMT)
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Given Stephen's point and the above Nazi stuff, I would suggest your title should be something like: 'Thorak, Wotruba and the "Kunst-am-Bau" percent-for-art scheme in Linz 1955.'

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Note added at 2 days3 hrs (2008-08-17 14:24:31 GMT) Post-grading
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Thanks, David, for the points and to Stephen for putting me on the precise track!
Peer comment(s):

agree Manjula Dias-Hargarter, Ph.D. (X) : this sounds right to me too.
37 mins
Thank you, Manjula
neutral Lonnie Legg : "architectural art" may work, for lack of a better term--though it doesn't convey that, in Germany at least, the art commonly isn't of the architect's design (but added by the builder with the help of gov't funds)
48 mins
Kunst am Bau does not specify who is paying for it, so the EN term does not need to. Since this is the subject of my own PhD I am pretty confident about this one!!
agree TonyTK : That's the one.
51 mins
Thank you, TonyTK
agree John Dale D.D. : agree, this may clarify it :-) http://www.bundestag.de/bau_kunst/kunst_am_bau.html
3 hrs
Thanks, John. I have found out that the Nazis also had a Kunst am Bau Erlaß from 1934 so perhaps this is what is meant here.
neutral Stephen Reader : possibly 'architecturally integrated sculpt.', but note it's a specific (German) institution/scheme/mode, not a universal definition. I'd hav to research, but think K.a.B. places emph. on architect-artist collab. on a par (re. 'archit.'s design')
3 hrs
The equivalent scheme here is generally termed 'percent for art'.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "gonna go with the german then "percent for art" afterwards as in Helen's last note. thanks all for copious responses!"
+1
3 hrs

....under the ((italics?))Kunst-am-Bau scheme for art in architecture

It's a German phenomenon, at least with that label attached to it. From my own dictionary marginalia -
'i.e. "art on the (architectural) site", integrated into architecture from the planning stage on. "Art in Architecture", but CARE.'
With Helen (hello again, H.) in the sense that it's art FOR & as part of a piece of architecture, thereby often (but not exclusively) a site-specific work in nature; certainly a permanent piece is implied.
Peer comment(s):

agree Helen Shiner : Hello Stephen. See my comments re the Nazi Kunst am Bau scheme!! Fancy them getting in on the act before anyone else! Perverted patronage!/True enough.
3 hrs
Thanks, Helen. Had a look. Where DO it end. There seem to be a number of ideas surviving which they realised and abused (I'm not trying to sound faux-naif!)
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-1
8 hrs

art in construction

Gibt keine einheitliche Übersetzung im Netz. Neben "art in construction" wird z.B. auch Building Site Art benützt.
Bundesministerium (D) sagt "Art in Construction" - siehe S.86 im pdf.
http://www.bbr.bund.de/nn_25610/EN/Publications/SpecialPubli...

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunst_am_Bau
Peer comment(s):

disagree Helen Shiner : Sorry, this sounds like a poor translation. 'Art in construction' sounds like it is in the process of being built. And it really doesn't include art/sculpture on buildings.
23 hrs
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