This insight describes one of 563 public artworks in Basel. If you’d like to explore more publicly accessible artworks, browse the full dataset on data.bs. Or even better—experience them in person by booking a tour with Artstübli – Kunst und Kultur.
The artwork "Polyvolume" by Maria Vieira transforms the functional space of a university library into a site of playful, collective creation. Installed in 1967, this towering silvery sculpture is not a static monument but an interactive instrument composed of 700 movable aluminum plates. By inviting library visitors to rotate its components, the work democratizes artistic form, making each user a temporary collaborator in shaping its ever-changing silhouette. This clever integration of art and architecture turns a transitional foyer into a dynamic social hub, where the act of study and contemplation is physically mirrored in the hands-on manipulation of knowledge and form. The sculpture's design, with its intentionally interrupted spiral seating, suggests that both learning and art are processes built through participation and occasional rupture.
🤖 This text was generated with the assistance of AI. All quantitative statements are derived directly from the dataset listed under Data Source.