The Balance of Things

History of the work

On Bundesgasse, between the former Hotel Bernerhof and the Bundeshaus West, by the funicular down to the Marzili, lies a field of white marble gravel with 45 stones. George Steinmann created it in 1992, commissioned by the Swiss National Tourist Office. According to the artist, the stones come from places and regions on all five continents that bear the name “Switzerland”.

The list Steinmann has published ranges from a “Little Switzerland” in Namibia and the “Suiza peruana” in Peru to Nova Friburgo in Brazil, New Glarus in Wisconsin and Saxon Switzerland near Bad Schandau. One stone comes from Hospental in Switzerland itself. Stones and groups of stones stand for the continents; they are placed according to the golden section. The outline and scale of the field, according to Steinmann, match the Zen garden of the Ryoan-ji temple in Kyoto. He chose the stones together with the Swiss embassies and with local people; in return, each of these places was given a piece of serpentine from the Gotthard area.

Steinmann was born in Bern in 1950 and grew up in Thun. After an apprenticeship as a graphic designer he moved to Helsinki in 1970, where he also performed as a musician; later he studied in Basel and at the San Francisco Art Institute. According to SIKART he continues to perform as a blues musician. According to SIKART, 1992 marks a turning point in his work: instead of putting on an exhibition in Tallinn, he renovated the run-down art hall as a sculpture. In 2001 he received the Prix Meret Oppenheim. His work deals with sustainability, climate and ecology.

The Bernerhof opposite was built as a hotel in 1856–1858 and has served the federal administration since 1923. Standing at the edge of the gravel field, you can try to pick out the continental groups; the artist has published a plan of the installation on his website.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Kultur Stadt Bern, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum (offene Daten) · Wikipedia (de): George Steinmann · George Steinmann: Das Gleichgewicht der Dinge · George Steinmann: Index of the Stones (PDF) · SIKART: George Steinmann · Bauinventar Stadt Bern: Bundesgasse 3 (ehem. Hotel Bernerhof) · Wikimedia Commons: Steininstallation Das Gleichgewicht der Dinge (George Steinmann 1992)