STONES 2014 – ARTWALK on the Arlberg

Sculpture in front of Hotel Auriga in Lech

The sculpture STONES was the impetus for the collaboration between artist Gabriele Brunner and hotelier Ingo Strolz. A conversation about the catastrophic summer of 2005 that saw Hotel Auriga heavily damaged by flooding led to an intense exchange of ideas on the topics of personal setbacks and hurdles that have to be overcome in life.

Gabriele Brunner turned the very personal and existential experience of Ingo Strolz into the idea for a sculpture that makes the stones and their apotheosis visible. Large, heavy rocks lose their impact in the sculpture; seemingly flowing toward the sky, they dissolve and unblock the way. Something negative turns into something useful, rock obstacles become the material for something new.

Obstacles along the way

How a burden becomes light

First you only see the obstacle. The pile of stones, the gigantic mountain, the insurmountable, unmanageable hurdle. A change of perspective is needed first to understand that those stones aren’t the end of the road. Soon it becomes clearer that you can grow with the resistance, the burden of the task can lead to new and good experiences. The seeming end turns into a new beginning. The stones become a building material, the negative is understood as meaningful, the hurdle becomes a spur.

Gabriele Brunner’s idea and model for the sculpture exactly corresponded with the intentions of Ingo Strolz. It now vividly expresses what moves him and many observers on the ARTWALK.

“There’s no stoneless path in life. But you can simply build something beautiful with all these stones.”

Gabriele Brunner, 2017

Start of the ARTWALK in Lech

In the beginning was empty space

Space is the prerequisite for art. Space for thinking, free space, space to become effective. When hotelier Ingo Strolz gave his commission, only the will to create existed. How an idea broke ground and filled the space, grew and flourished can be seen both in the sculpture STONES and the entire ARTWALK, which invites you= to marvel, think and observe with it’s now nine works.

NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION

You’d like to receive the latest Auriga holidays offers and interesting information for your Arlberg holiday by e-mail? Please sign up for the free Auriga newsletter