Kunsthof Dresden

In 2001 a new complex of residential and commercial courtyards was established in Dresden’s Ausseren Neustadt neighborhood. Named the Kunsthof Dresden (Art Courtyard, Dresden), this series of buildings, arranged around courtyards, was designed in collaboration with artists, and many artists use these spaces in which to live and work. It is surrounded by rows of older houses, and includes both residential and commercial buildings; insulated from the urban hub-bub, the Kunsthof also features small boutiques, restaurants, and little terraces. Most importantly, however, the buildings also feature special adornments that the artists added to embellish the building façades.

Each courtyard has its own theme and name. There is a Hof der Tiere (Courtyard of Animals) that includes wall sculptures and giraffes and monkeys, a Hof der Fabelwesen (Courtyard of Mythical Creatures) that features fantasy figures and celestial bodies, a Hof des Lichts (for multimedia art events), and a Hof der Metamorphosen (Courtyard of Metamorphoses) with shields that are illuminated at night and constantly change into other forms. On the Hof der Elemente (Courtyard of Elements), one façade, painted blue, is embellished with creatively meandering downspouts, some in the shape of wind instruments, to represent the element of water. The other façade of this building is yellow and is decorated with gold-colored aluminum shields, representing the element of sunlight.

The blue façade of the Hof der Elemente, created by Kunsthof residents sculptor Annette Paul and designers Christoph Rossner and André Tempel, has received much publicity and attracts many visitors. While the visuals alone are interesting, the downspouts actually do function as instruments; opinions as to their aesthetic aspects are divided, however; some say the pipes “turn the ordinary pitter-patter of rainy weather to a wonderfully unique symphony” or refer to a “unique musical sensation,” while others hear no difference between this and the regular sound of rain. If rain is not in the forecast, the artists have provided a means by which water can flow down the pipes at the hour and half-hour.

~Henk van Es



21 Görlitzer Straße
Dresden, Sachsen, 01099 de
Latitude/Longitude: 51.0675891 / 13.7544176

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