Worm

History of the work

At the entrance to the Wittigkofen school lies a concrete sculpture that Walter Kretz called 'Wurm' (Worm). The city dates it to 1974–1977. On Wikimedia Commons it is described as a concrete installation with an inner and an outer part.

It was made while a new neighbourhood was growing around it. The large Wittigkofen estate, with tower blocks and long linked buildings, was planned by the architect Otto Senn and carried out by the firm Thormann and Nussli. Its planning had been shown as exemplary at the 1964 national exhibition in Lausanne. Originally a satellite town for up to 24,000 people was envisaged; after the oil crisis only the first stage was built. Construction began in 1972, the first flats were occupied in August 1973, and the district was finished in 1980 according to Wikipedia, in 1982 according to Open House Bern. Art in architecture was not part of the plan; Open House Bern offered a walk with Kretz on how art nevertheless found its way into the district, meeting at the school entrance.

Walter Kretz was born in Steckborn on 18 December 1942 and has lived in Bern since 1958. After a visit to the sculptor Gustave Piguet he left the path to the school-leaving exam and trained as a stone sculptor in Nidau. He became known for works in concrete: in 1971 he made a concrete relief at the Schanzenpost, and in 1974 he cast seven columns in the Schwellenmätteli below the Kunsthalle, which now stand in the Schadau park in Thun. From 1975 he taught three-dimensional design to future art teachers, later at the Bern University of the Arts. In Wittigkofen he also made the 'Flügel' (Wing) in 1983, which children call the elephant's ear and which, according to Wikipedia, became the landmark of the district.

Having seen the 'Wurm', keep looking around the district: the 'Flügel' and other sculptures of the Kultur Arena Wittigkofen stand in the green spaces between the tower blocks.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Kultur Stadt Bern, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum (offene Daten) · Wikimedia Commons: Betoninstallation Wurm (Walter Kretz 1977) · Wikipedia (de): Walter Kretz · SIKART: Walter Kretz · Wikipedia (de): Wittigkofen · Open House Bern: Wittigkofen