The Balloon Flower by Jeff Koons posed a completely new challenge for us in the area of art works. On March29, 1998, DaimlerChrysler (at the time still Daimler Benz) commissioned us to realize a sculpture for the DaimlerChrysler areal on the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin.
The technicians and craftsmen at our Steinbach-Hallwenbach branch started to work with committment, single-mindedness and creativity.
Under the personal technical direction of Rolf Arnold partners for the casting elements and the later surface treatment were integrated in our team. Scenarios were run through from professional organizations and scientists in order to rule out possible risks and technical weaknesses from the beginning. A number of surface treatment techniques which had never before been used had to be worked out and made practicable.
The result of this effort waS that Balloon Flower 2000 could be installed and presented to the public in February, 2000 on its designated place in Berlin.
We are proud to have built this unique and wonderful work of art.
We would like to thank the artist Jeff Koons and his collaborator Justine Wheeler for their support and trust in us during the entire course of the project.
( It was a pleasure ! )
We would like to thank the DaimlerChrysler firm for entrusting us with such a project. At no point was that trust and backup withdrawn. From the first to the very last moment the firm let us know they believed in our abilities and gave us their firm support especially in the crises.
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