A feat of rural art

A delicate metal structure brimming with movement: Nothing illustrates this better than the installation “Balance“The artwork in front of the courtyard complex at Manhagenerfelde 13 can hardly be described as a work of art on the theme of agriculture. The artist’s work Arne Prohn from North Frisia bears the apt name “Balance“, as it symbolizes the balance achieved on a unicycle, which seeks equilibrium in harmony with nature, humanity, and economic efficiency. The artwork is visible from the street and is accessible to the public.

Location: Steensen's Farm, Manhagenerfelde 13, 23738 Manhagen, right on the farm

A granite boulder that migrated from Scandinavia to Schleswig-Holstein during the Ice Age, carved by Ulrich Lindow (Schobüll) for the Hof Dammer (Kattenberg near Cismar). With its undulating shape and curved furrows, this almost meditative-looking stone reflects the agricultural work carried out in the hilly terminal moraine landscape surrounding Kattenberg.Location: Hof Dammer, Kattenberg 8, 23743 Grömitz-Cismar, near the farm on Kattenberger Weg

A video by the filmmaker and photographer Jobst von Berg (Böel) for the Körnick farm (near Grömitz). This video examines, challenges, and reevaluates clichés. Von Berg’s camera follows the agricultural work throughout the year—it traces the structures and traces of the labor, as well as the processes of life and growth. Images and text inserts alternate, sometimes offering commentary and at other times engaging in dialogue. Through a subtle shift in meaning between word and image, the video work opens up the possibility of a fresh perspective on what was previously only seemingly familiar within this ancient yet ultra-modern economic system: agriculture.Location: Meier, Körnick 1, 23743 Grömitz, on the farm

Between Oldenburg in Holstein and the Town of Grube It used to be the third-largest shallow lake in Schleswig-Holstein. Due to sediment carried in from the nearby Baltic Sea, it gradually silted up and was eventually drained to create land for agriculture.

The Flensburg sculptor Johannes Caspersen With its “regulars” at Paasch-Eyler-Platz, it serves as a reminder of the lake’s history. This remnant of the last Ice Age was teeming with fish and provided sustenance for many families. This is symbolized by the “Fisherman” standing in the field near the sluice—that was his workplace in the days of Lake Gruber. The “Traveler” looks out from the viewing platform on the grounds of the Alte Gruber Bürgergilde toward the landscape—and also at the “Fisherman.” The figures thus become symbols of the original natural environment and the later human interventions.

Location: Paasch-Eyler-Platz, 23749 Grube

Another "regular" stands on the lawn at Dunker's Square in Thick – the “farmhand” who helped the landowners amass their wealth. Dunker’s estate was magnificently developed in the 18th century. Until the end of 1840, the steward of the then-royal administrative office in Cismar resided here; in addition to his official residence, he was granted approximately 20 tons of land. According to old custom, he received six fathoms of firewood and six cartloads of peat from his subjects in addition to his salary.Location: Dunker'scher Platz, 23749 Grube

Between Dahme and Kellenhusen stands an iron installation featuring a small-leaved lime tree. It can be interpreted as a symbol of how humans interact with nature today: “Everywhere, nature is being restricted in various ways,” says the artist Margit Huch. “It is desirable that the tree overcome its prison and thus render it meaningless.” On the other hand, “Tree – Human – Tree” can also be seen as a symbol of the coexistence of humans and nature: the wider the spacing between the bars, the more room there is for the tree to grow through them and develop naturally. Organic farming aims to foster this coexistence Bokhorst Farm, to whom this sculpture is dedicated.Location: Axt/Bokhorst, 23746 Kellenhusen, Dahmer Weg/Vogelsang

Bees and other insects pollinate the plants that provide a large part of our food. Yet these vital creatures are under serious threat. The poet Doris Runge With her poem “Of Bees and Blossoms,” written exclusively for LANDKUNSTSTÜCK, Cismar sends a powerful message and draws attention to the fragile balance between nature and our use of it.

The visual artist Hans-Joachim Mocka from Kollund (Denmark) created the artwork for these lines on the Grimm Apple Farm has created an outdoor stage in Cismar designed to captivate audiences with its dynamic forms.

Location: Grimm, Wintersberger Weg 3, 23743 Grömitz-Cismar, on the farm

The agricultural quality of a plot of land is measured in so-called “soil points” (scale: 1 = very poor, 100 = very good). The salt marshes of the Hopp Riding Stables  at Langenredder in Grömitz-Lenste have an average score of 30 points.

The artist Sigrid Stegemann The group from Oldersbek (North Frisia) focused on precisely this theme with their boulder installation: the 30 gold-leaf-covered stones placed on top of the larger boulders—100 in total, all painted in color—symbolize this numerical value.

Location: Hopp, Langenredder 48, 23743 Grömitz-Lenste Langenredder, near the farm

In the past, tree-lined avenues often served as a direct link between farmers and customers. Today, the two groups rarely cross paths. The four rusty steel trees in Riepsdorf point the way to the farm at 31 Hauptstraße—and invite visitors to engage in conversation with farmer Carsten Siems.

The “Avenue of Generations” was created by the Lübeck sculptors Winni Schaak.  The slight tilt of the sculptures symbolizes the burden that every generation of farmers must bear—the hardships of nature and the demands of society and industry. The varying sizes represent the generations who do their very best …

Location: Siems, Hauptstr. 31, 23738 Riepsdorf, on the street side in front of the farm

The colorful mixed-media installation floats on a small artificial pond at Gut Rosenhof, north of Grube, on the right behind the woods as you head toward Siggeneben.

The artist Inga Momsen explains: “Through compensation areas—such as hedgerows, artificial ponds, and forests—farmers contribute to the renaturation of their surroundings. I’m bringing the hedgerow to the pond and combining two important renaturation measures.” She drew inspiration for the form and color scheme of her work from the elderberry, a typical hedgerow plant, as well as from the coat of arms of the municipality of Grube, the site of the installation.

Location: Gut Rosenhof, 23749 Grube

You'll find the sound installation set into a pasture across from the entrance to Krummbek Estate (Schashagen, Dorfstraße 5). In her artwork, Maria Malmberg the Kreisfarming at the estate, on the one hand in the kreisa round stainless-steel disc that serves as a resonance chamber for the special speakers located beneath it. On the other hand, it processes wheat, milk, water, wastewater, substrate, and manure from the farmkreisrun of the court with a kreisstruck the round singing bowl and recorded it with special microphones while circling the bowlkreishas.

Location: Gut Krummbek, Dorfstraße 5, 23730 Schashagen

In the immediate vicinity of the historic complex of Petersdorf Estate Another LANDKUNSTSTÜCK has opened. The installation “Al fresco” is a collaborative work by Susanne Juliette Koch from Osterby in the Rendsburg-Eckernförde district and Parul Modha from Maribo on the Danish island of Lolland.

Location: Gut Petersdorf, Petersdorfer Allee 1, 23738 Lensahn

On the Baltic Sea coast in Dahme Climate change and dike construction are important issues. The LANDKUNSTSTÜCK “Tipping Points”—a metal boat skeleton incorporating bog oak—by Anka Landtau highlights this interplay. A dead tree, embraced by the iron skeleton of a weathered boat, points to the intersection of the coast and climate change: on one side, the water is rising; on the other, forests and fields are withering away.

Location: Dahme Spa Park, 23747 Dahme

Located right next to the 600-hectare Kellenhusen Forest, issues such as the climate crisis, tree die-off, and biodiversity are of great importance. The LANDKUNSTSTÜCK “Bird Clock”—a wooden project created by the 3rd-grade class at Grube Elementary School in collaboration with sculptor Traute Ohlenbusch—invites visitors to look and listen closely to nature. During a visit to the forest accompanied by the forester, the students listened to the sounds of the forest and learned that birdsong begins like clockwork 70 minutes before sunrise. In the resulting 80-minute “Bird Clock,” the black redstart begins the early morning concert.

Location: Waldstraße / Waldparkplatz, 23746 Kellenhusen

Ekkehard Briese Journalist in Hamburg and founder of LANDKUNSTSTÜCK. Contact: info@landkunststueck.de

Antje Wilkening, M.A. Art historian and art educator, Chair of the project organization LANDKUNSTSTÜCK e.V. Contact: info@landkunststueck.de