Sculpture Tour

Dear visitors,
welcome to the walking tour of sculptures on the Campus Berlin-Buch. Over about the next hour you will get the chance to view a selection of 22 works by renowned international artists.

The Campus Berlin-Buch has a history as a site for medical science stretching back over 100 years. Fewer know it as a place for art. But art and science have much in common: both are products of human culture, and both have influenced our modern sense of what it means to be human. Artists and scientists probe the secrets of nature and humanity in personal, original ways, and both seek answers. They both have a desire to share their experiences and the goal of improving human life. They differ, naturally, in the methods by which they attempt to reach this goal. Albert Einstein put it this way: ”Science is what we do when we frame what is observed and experienced in the language of logic; art is what we do when it is passed along through forms.” Another way the two have been distinguished is to call science the search for truth, and art for beauty. This distinction first emerged in the Renaissance. An examination of earlier history shows that science began in art. In the Medieval period, medicine and theater were considered equal members of the seven practical arts. It was only in the 18th century that what we now call ”fine arts” emerged as an aesthetic and cultural mode.

In the historical Chambers of Curiosities around 1600, the products of art, handcrafts, nature and science were presented side by side in a ”holistic context”.

This common heritage is still evident in the new European university standards, the ”Bologna Reform”: studies in the humanities and social sciences are absolved with Bachelor or Master of Arts degrees. Perhaps this represents an attempt to emphasize their commonalities and overcome their differences – to see truth and beauty as two sides of a single coin, as Einstein did.

Today on the Campus Berlin-Buch, knowledge and creativity come together. This is where top international research meets renowned art, and some of Buch‘s scientists are active in the arts at the same time.

This brochure will guide you through a selection of the artworks on the campus. It presents a map of the campus and information to the works, as well as the artists. As with the Chamber of Curiosities of the late Renaissance, which combined in one room the curious nature of the objects with the wonder experienced by the viewers, we hope that you, dear visitor, will have beautiful experiences while viewing the exhibits on the Campus Berlin-Buch.

The map of the campus shows where the artworks are and can be used as a guide. You can follow the route and read the text as you go along; you can also take the tour using the audio guide on the web.

We hope you enjoy your visit!