What joy on the pitch of the Veltinsarena at Schalke. Artist Christian Nienhaus spent four days and a night in the field. The Gelsenkirchen native and his team covered the playing field with foil and cardboard, turning it into the world’s largest screen. 13,000 square meters – he wants to set a record with that.
Der Name des Bildes: “Colorful Football Art”
55 players recreate legendary moves on screen. They carry fireproof bags full of 25 liters of acrylic paint that run out of hoses. Everything threatened to fail on Friday. The storm of the past days had almost destroyed the earth. The storm had blown in from below so badly that the area was wet and full of air bubbles. Everyone worked day and night to repair the damage. With success. It can start today.
Players have to carry heavy loads
“It’s very heavy, I hope I don’t slip.” 17-year-old Emma Möllenbeck puts on her 30 kg paint backpack at 3:30 pm and has to get used to the weight first. She will be very fast on the field with her team. She and the whole Schalke family are crazy. She plays for the club four times a week. “My whole family is very happy that I can stand on the field today,” she said. When her class teacher asked if she wanted to participate, she immediately said yes.
People with disabilities are also part of the project
A few meters later, Fabian Helweg also gets his backpack. The 38-year-old will be a linebacker today. He is in a wheelchair due to MS. “Whenever I can, I’m here in the stadium and watching the games. It’s a very special thing that I can take part here today. I work there the Sankt Georg workshop for disabled people and I went there.” His wheelchair is first covered with a plastic sheet to prevent it from being damaged by the acrylic paint. Schalke fan Fabian Hellwig will also paint lines today, in Dortmund yellow of all things.
What if the wheelchair turns yellow afterwards? “No problem, he says, I won’t be able to show up anywhere anymore, but it’s worth it,” he laughs. “This is the memory of a lifetime,” his wife says. Ramona push across the field.And so the lineman also leaves his mark on the picture “Football Color Art”. When Schalke legend Gerald Asamoah looks around the corner for a quick selfie, Fabian Helweg’s pulse goes up. “A dream come true. Mega.”
Under the strict scrutiny of the German Record Institute
Olaf Kuchenbecker from the German Recording Institute walks the playing field with a so-called measuring wheel. 144×90.5 meters. He will decide whether a record will be set here today or not. It is not enough that the screen is big enough. A work of art must also be created that fills the entire canvas. By the way, the “World’s Largest Picture” category has been newly introduced.
The players play on the screen for two hours, play after play. It’s Emma’s turn again, with a move from Gerd Müller, who scored the winning goal in the 1974 World Cup final against the Netherlands in Munich. “It’s a lot of fun and somehow a total mess,” she says as the green paint drips down her shins.
The result is displayed
At 5:30 p.m. Christian Nienhaus signs the painting for a tribute. And of course under the eyes of the registrar judge Olaf Kuchenbecker. Tired, all the players are excited now. Was the registration attempt successful? There are! The judge from the German Recording Institute recognizes the work of art “Football Color Art” as the largest painting in the world.
The colored circles in the picture represent all the celebrations after famous plays, such as those that took place in the “Miracle of Bern”. Now there is joy away from the field too, the artist Christian Nienhaus has achieved his goal with the help of Emma, Fabian and many other helpers. Goal, goal, goal – at Schalke they all created the best picture in the world.
Sources:
We report on this topic on WDR on May 6, 2024 on television: Lokalzeit Ruhr, 7:30 p.m.
2024-05-05 19:55:54
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