4. Alf Lechner

4. Alf Lechner, Constellation D4 (1994)

Weighing tons, yet inconspicuous, Alf Lechner's sculpture "Konstellation D4" rests on the lawn in front of the Mine, next to the famous Twin Pit-Head. The sculpture is part of a group of works titled "Konstellation D1-D8" and stands at an angle of 45 degrees to the rectangular ground plan of the colliery buildings. It interrupts the two axes along which the facilities are aligned and thus almost automatically guides the viewer’s eye towards the direction of the Pit-Head Frame. The 16-ton work focuses on the material steel and its physical properties. Despite the sculpture's bulky form and immovable appearance, the curved underside makes it appear as if it could seesaw. Lechner has found a fascinating way to play with the substantiality of his preferred material. Although the sculpture was not originally created for the Zollverein site, it refers to the Zollverein industrial monument and its past through its industrial manufacturing and the choice of steel as its material, which played an important role in the construction of the mine.