GEOsculpture WORLD GLOBE artistically handmade from metal and glass on a scale of 1:10,000,000



The glass-on-metal-WORLD GLOBE

GERMAN


The oldest globe still in existence today dates back to 1492, a time when Columbus discovered the "New World". 500 years later, Manfred Küttner introduces his handcrafted and similarly re-markable globe at the world fair EXPO'92, in the "German Pavilion" in Seville, Spain.

This extraordinary globe is truly unique in its design and size, not only as a geographic model of earth and space, but also as a highly decorative exhibit.
In an artistically distinctive transformation of cartographic references, Manfred's globe was created with a surface made entirely of glass and metal, at a scale of 1:10,000,000 and a diameter of 1.28 meter. Each one of the 578 individual copper plates that make up this incredibly detailed globe was glazed over with molten glass enamel in a specialty kiln at temperatures of over 1,000°C. The enamel is colored, yet transparent, to allow for a clear view of the metal engraved rivers and lakes.

The borders between the blue-shimmering ocean surfaces and the amber-colored mainland areas are made of melted metal strips. It is these metal strips that give the old and honorable craft technique of "Strip Enameling" its name, dating back as far as the old Byzantine Empire. All strips that rise up from the molten glaze, as well as all metallic inscriptions are plated with fine gold.
The names of approximately 500 geographically important locations are marked with hand-embossed inscriptions. Due to the geographic density of some locales, depiction of all names was not feasible or esthetically desirable.

Hidden under the detachabble pole cap is an electro-mechanical motor, which powers the globe to evolve around its axis once every 5 minutes. Even without electricity, the globe can easily be rotated by hand.


Visually pleasing is the tilt of the globe's axis: on one side, lower lying regions rise up to be viewed, while higher lying locales drift downwards and seemingly disappear.



The entire kinetic sculpture has a weight of 400 kg and its tripod mount lies invisibly beneath the ground.


The globe is currently being exhibited at the Kühne Logistics University (The KLU) in Hamburg. Manfred Küttner is still looking for the perfect permanent destination for this captivating masterpiece.






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