Hospital, Villingen-Schwenningen

“Once I became aware of the size of the space, I was clear that I didn't want to do it on my own, not just due to the size, but rather because I didn't want the site to be dominated by a single artistic style”, explains Michael Jäger. The client, who invited him to take part in the “Architectural Art” competition for the interior of the hospital, was also on board with forming a work group. Jäger and his three colleagues David Harley, Jürgen Palmtag and Volker Saul viewed their picture archive and brought the selection together – via Skype and the internet due to their different locations. The result impressed the judging panel. Perhaps because the cooperative approach reflects the daily cooperation within the hospital. Spending time in the hospital, whether as a patient or visitor, is an abnormal situation. For this reason, no motifs were chosen that could have a metal association with organs, for example, or that tell a story. The goal was to give a sense of purpose to the space, that is both long and eight meters high, and is divided into sections by a gallery. Focal points were formed there at 19 locations, with usually two or three artists, occasionally even all the team, working at each one. Jäger often started with color fields and the three colleagues then took turns to add their part. The design languages of spatially effective areas, sprayed colored clouds and sketch-like illustrations, through to enigmatic drawings, complement each other, without negating the individual motifs. The mutual reflection in the cooperation not only invigorates the four painters, but the viewers too. The pictures act as landmarks along the long corridor or, as Jäger puts it: “If you get lost, the paintings catch you”