Finder

History of the work

On the southern parapet of the Grosse Schanze, where the terrace in front of the university's main building offers a wide view over the city, stands a metal telescope on a metal base. The City of Bern lists it under the title 'Finder' as a work by Eveline Feldmann from 2004; on Wikimedia Commons it is described as a steel installation. Who commissioned the work, and whether one can actually look through the tube, could not be found in the sources consulted.

According to the Swiss artists' lexicon SIKART, Eveline Feldmann was born in Muri on 16 November 1970. SIKART lists her as a sculptor and painter working mainly in sculpture and installation; there is no full lexicon article about her yet.

The site has a long history. The Grosse Schanze was part of Bern's last fortifications to the west of the old town: its construction was decided in March 1622 and completed in 1634, following plans by the fortress builder Théodore Agrippa d'Aubigné. Between 1834 and 1846 the earthworks were largely levelled. On their last remains the university's main building was erected in 1900–1903 after a competition held in 1898, a building in Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Baroque forms with a statue of Science by Alfred Lanz on the attic.

The Bern city executive praised the wide view from the university terrace in a report on a 2007 council motion, which asked for the park to be used more for leisure and culture. Until about 1850, according to Wikipedia, Swiss wrestlers from the canton and central Switzerland met on the Grosse Schanze every Easter Monday for a contest.

A lift, already mentioned in the 2007 motion, leads from the station up to the Grosse Schanze. Once there, check which way the tube points and what you can see through it.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Kultur Stadt Bern, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum (offene Daten) · SIKART: Eveline Feldmann · Wikimedia Commons: Stahlinstallation Finder (Eveline Feldmann 2004) · Wikipedia (de): Schanzen (Bern) · Bauinventar Stadt Bern: Hochschulstrasse 4 · Stadt Bern, Bericht des Gemeinderats: Postulat Grosse Schanze (2007)