Karl’s Eye

Reflecting Points, a continuation of Open Mind Places in Sauerland, is a collaborative initiative by BDA Kassel for documenta fifteen. Scattered throughout Kassel during the summer of 2022, these installations fostered spaces for encounters and meaningful communication. The project aimed to inspire environmental action and promote societal exchange.

One key installation, Reflecting Point Karl’s Eye, is located in Karlsaue, the state park of Kassel. It serves as the starting point for the Karl’s Eye Reforestation Project in Sauerland. At the center of an elliptical forest clearing resembling a giant eye, four steles rise, constructed from stacked beech wood blocks. These blocks, made from leftover railway sleepers typically used as fuel, were repurposed to avoid emissions from burning and to create a long-term carbon store. The installation invites visitors to sit face-to-face, fostering discussions about the vital role of healthy woodlands in combating climate change.

Through gaps in the steles, people can gaze into the surrounding landscape or up at the sky, creating an intimate connection to nature. This perspective change symbolizes the vision of the Karl’s Eye Reforestation Project. As part of this initiative, local youth have transformed former monoculture woodlands devastated by a bark beetle outbreak linked to climate change by planting over 10,000 biodiverse trees.

After its time at documenta fifteen, Karl’s Eye was dismantled and stored in Referinghausen, where it