Place of Thanks

History of the work

In a small wood on the Engländerhubel, between the Inselheim and the Carl-Ludwig-Lory-Haus, a large block of stone rests on a surface of closely set small stones, with a round pond and heavy oak benches right beside it. According to the Insel Gruppe's press release, the sculpture is meant to feel like a friendly, familiar creature; its hewn side is intended to be touched and leaned against.

The place, whose name means 'Place of Thanks', was inaugurated on 6 November 2019. The idea came from the director of the Swisstransplant foundation: there should be a spot on the hospital site where people who have received an organ, and relatives of donors, can express their gratitude. The Insel Gruppe set up a jury, which chose the artist. The place is open to everyone and complements the rooms of silence and the two chapels on the hospital grounds.

According to SIKART, Reto Leibundgut was born in Büren zum Hof on 14 July 1966. He trained as a display designer in Thun from 1983 to 1987, began working as a sculptor in 1993 and attended the art class of the Bern University of the Arts under Václav Požárek from 1995 to 1997. From 1997 he made installations. His awards include the Swiss Federal Prize for Art in 1999 and the City of Thun's prize for visual art in 2007; in 2008 the monograph 'Fügungen und Kaskaden' was published. According to the press release he lives in Basel.

The site has a long garden history. The Inselheim was once the manor house of the Donnerbühl estate; the hill got its present name from Arnold König, who had returned from England and lived here from about 1845 to 1853. From 1855 the sisters Pauline and Rosina May had a landscape park laid out, and in 1919 the Inselspital bought the estate. According to the Inselpark leaflet, frogs, newts and dragonflies live in the park's three ponds. On site, touching is expressly welcome: the hewn flank of the sculpture was shaped for exactly that.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Kultur Stadt Bern, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum (offene Daten) · Insel Gruppe: Medienmitteilung ‚Neu im Park des Inselspitals: Der Ort des Dankes‘ (6. November 2019) · SIKART: Reto Leibundgut · Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Freiburgstrasse 41 (Inselheim, heute Freiburgstrasse 31) · Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Baugruppe Loryspital · Inselspital, Direktion Infrastruktur: Flyer Inselpark (2018) · Wikimedia Commons: Installation Ort des Dankes (Reto Leibundgut 2019)