Lapsus

About the work

Michael Volkmer uses the term lapsus in the sense of a minor error or an unintentional mistake. For this work, he changed the towpath pavement along the Rhine by replacing some of the grey, composite paving stones with stones dyed a light ivory colour – forming them into large letters that spell the word LAPSUS. In doing so, he deliberately interrupted an existing standardized and functional system of order and redefined it aesthetically.
Very much in the spirit of Hans (Jean) Arp, Volkmer takes up Arp’s artistically inspired concept of metamorphosis. By breaking up existing orders – in the sense of a transformation – a new form within the form is created. The wavy shape of the stones establishes an associative connection to the gentle flow of the Rhine.

Michael Volkmer born 1966 in Ludwigshafen, Rhineland-Palatinate, lives and works in Winnweiler, Rhineland-Palatinate