Invited Art in Public Places competition, 2026 (proposal)

Mainfranken Theatre, Würzburg

Mirror-polished stainless steel

Presentation: Patrick Oswald 

A banner of mirror-polished stainless steel diagonally spans the theater foyer. The text describes a state of limbo

“if I am not me”

The artwork makes no assertion - it opens up a space of possibility. It explores the conditions of identity, the leeway between who we are and who we could be.
It is an invitation to viewers to explore this interstice, the place of ambiguity.

The text is cut out of the mirrored surfaces; the words - some of which are arranged mirror-image - form a void that reveals what lies behind them. Due to the length of the banner and the visual distortions caused by reflections on and openings in the surface, the text does not immediately reveal itself as a whole. At first, fragments become perceptible - “I am,” “am I,” “not me,” “if I am not,” etc. - before the text comes together as viewers move along the object.

The surface of the object reflects fragments of the foyer, which are constantly changing as people move through the space. The object, which is actually flat, becomes an interstitial space levitating between the ceiling and the floor.

The design addresses themes that are intrinsically linked to theater: transformation and attribution, as well as art’s fundamental ability to represent something other than what is.