Wellenbrecher [Wave-Breaker] 2016
![Wellenbrecher [Wave-Breaker]](https://nevinaladag.com/img/img_works/_img_300w/Nevin_Aladag_2016_Wellenbrecher_01.jpg)
Installation in public space, Emscherkunst triennial, 2016
60 concrete tetrapods (2,20 × 2,20 × 2,20 m each, 6 tonnes)
130 × 20 m
(photo credit: Thorsten Arendt)
![Wellenbrecher [Wave-Breaker]](https://nevinaladag.com/img/img_works/_img_300w/Nevin_Aladag_2016_Wellenbrecher_02.jpg)
(photo credit: Thorsten Arendt)
![Wellenbrecher [Wave-Breaker]](https://nevinaladag.com/img/img_works/_img_300w/Nevin_Aladag_2016_Wellenbrecher_03.jpg)
(photo credit: Thorsten Arendt)
![Wellenbrecher [Wave-Breaker]](https://nevinaladag.com/img/img_works/_img_300w/Nevin_Aladag_2016_Wellenbrecher_04.jpg)
(photo credit: Thorsten Arendt)
![Wellenbrecher [Wave-Breaker]](https://nevinaladag.com/img/img_works/_img_300w/Nevin_Aladag_2016_Wellenbrecher_05.jpg)
(photo credit: Thorsten Arendt)
![Wellenbrecher [Wave-Breaker]](https://nevinaladag.com/img/img_works/_img_300w/Nevin_Aladag_2016_Wellenbrecher_06.jpg)
(photo credit: Thorsten Arendt)
![Wellenbrecher [Wave-Breaker]](https://nevinaladag.com/img/img_works/_img_300w/Nevin_Aladag_2016_Wellenbrecher_07.jpg)
(photo credit: Thorsten Arendt)
The installation Wave-Breaker metaphorically recreates the imprint of Noah’s
Ark on the grounds of the detention basin. The imprint was
apparently discovered by a pilot near Turkey’s Mount Ararat in 1960. To
create the monumental and segmented sculpture, the artist uses 60
wave-breaker (breakwaters) in the form of concrete tetrapod blocks,
each measuring over two metres. These are used in the hydraulic
engineering industry to protect coasts and banks and are usually found
in coastal areas. Thus, she makes direct reference to the place and its
protective function: After its completion, the detention basin will be
utilized for absorbing flood waves in the case of heavy rainfall. The Wave-Breaker refer to both Noah’s Ark and the hope of a new
beginning after a catastrophe caused by either climate change as well as
how these are ingrained in the memory of humankind and are still being
discussed today in the context of the plight of refugees. The question
arises of who are the chosen ones, who are allowed to enter the
boat? Wave-Breaker also symbolically stands for the breaking of
political trends/ waves, most of all nationalist ideologies. (excerpt from a text by Lisa Maria Weber and Leonie Böhmer)