Flight

History of the work

On the lawn by the Neuhaus high-rises on Eymattstrasse in Bern-Bethlehem stands the sculpture 'Flug' (Flight) by Werner Witschi from 1957. It is made of concrete that, according to the city's records, was thrown rather than cast. A photo on Wikimedia Commons shows it in front of the residential tower at Neuhausweg 25. In the list of Witschi's works in public space on Wikipedia, 'Flug' is the earliest.

Witschi was born in Urtenen on 10 June 1906 and died in Bolligen on 24 December 1999 (HLS). In 1928 he obtained his diploma as a secondary school teacher at the University of Bern and in 1928/29 attended André Lhote's painting school in Paris. From 1930 to 1963 he taught at the secondary school in Bolligen, then until 1971 as a drawing teacher at the teacher training college of the Neue Mädchenschule in Bern. His paintings from 1924 to 1953 show landscapes, still lifes and religious and social subjects.

According to Wikipedia, from 1950, inspired by Jean Dubuffet, Witschi moved into three dimensions with reliefs in wood and metal; from wire, wood and blackened iron he built his first free-standing sculptures. The concrete sculpture in Bethlehem dates from this phase of transition. He became known for the 'Rütlischwur' (Rütli Oath), a large sculpture for the 1964 national exhibition in Lausanne that has stood in Flüelen since 1965. From 1966 he built kinetic objects, pendulums and grids that play with moiré effects and earned him international attention (HLS, Wikipedia).

Between 1958 and 1986 large developments such as the Tscharnergut and the Kleefeld and Holenacker estates were built in western Bern (City of Bern brochure on the Bümpliz cemetery). 'Flug' is a year older than the start of this building wave. The photo on Commons shows a good viewpoint: the sculpture in the foreground, the tower at Neuhausweg 25 behind it.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Kultur Stadt Bern, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum (offene Daten) · Wikimedia Commons: Betonplastik Flug (Werner Witschi 1957) · Wikipedia (de): Werner Witschi · HLS: Werner Witschi · swissinfo.ch: Berner Künstler Werner Witschi 93-jährig gestorben · Stadt Bern: Broschüre Friedhof Bümpliz (2018)