Stadtzeichen Energie (energy)

The fifth and last Stadtzeichen is about energy. Essen is a centre of energy and national and international operating energy players like RWE, Ruhrgas, Steag and Ruhrkohle have their seeds here. Those companies have leading positions in power generation, -distribution and -supply. „Energy“ is situated at the end of Viehofer Straße at Pferdemarkt facing Gertrudiskirche. The sculpture is structured using three concentric rings with a ball as a center and four smaller balls which seem to orbit it. All in all it reminds me far away of an atomic orbital model. That would be an ideal companion of the theme energy. Street artists do with this sculpture what they always do: they occupy public space making use of the opportunities, which means here: shoefiti. This term is determined from shoe and graffiti and there are different explanations about the roots and it’s origins. I don’t know when this started in Essen. I have taken the first pictures at this spot in June 2014. I think there is not much more that can be done with this last sculpture. The authorities seem to tolerate it.