Bethan Huws

For Skulptur. Projekte in Münster 1997 Welsh-born artist Bethan Huws conceived a round tour through a small wood on the southwestern edge of the Aasee. Located beyond the city’s recreational areas, Kiesekampbusch wood is an expanse of seemingly untouched mixed woodland pitted with numerous bomb craters and uneven ground caused by an air raid in World War II.

Huws erected a metal sign with information before the bridge on Modersohnweg. The text on the sign described the conditions relating to nature, culture and history encountered there.¹ The open countryside which at first sight seemed to offer no indication of its historical circumstances, only became intelligible through Huys’ designated tour in conjunction with her at times poetic commentary. While the tranquil woodland gave the impression of an unscathed idyll, Huys’ intervention made visitors aware of the negative chapters in Münster’s history. Then, as now, it was possible to experience their aftermath in a visual and haptic form. Through language and text, which serve as timeless media for communicating knowledge, Huys provided an introduction to this incremental experience.

Daniel Friedt

¹ Cf. Bethan Huws, “The Quest for the Self”, in: Klaus Bußmann, Kasper König and Florian Matzner (eds.), Skulptur. Projekte in Münster 1997, exhib. cat. Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Münster, Ostfildern-Ruit, 1997, pp. 226–29.