In 1984, Austrian textile designer Leo Wollner created a multi-part installation for the Juridicum, the University of Vienna’s law faculty building.
Suspended above the central area on the top floor, his piece comprises 93 steel cables, strung across the width of the room just below the 7.4m-high ceiling and welded to the building’s structural steel framework. Hanging from the cables are glass discs, 14cm in diameter, in white and various shades of blue and green. On the one side of the space, the discs form the shape of a wave, while on the opposite side they represent a cloud.
In the course of renovation work on the building during the summer and autumn of 2024, the installation was dismantled so the glass discs could be cleaned and then reinstalled. The key challenge was accurately mapping the discs for their reassembly, for which reason the team of restorers created a detailed chart. They also ensured that the discs were safely stored in a depot during the renovations.
Today, with its original appearance restored, the artwork again offers a graceful contrast to the solidity of the space.
Leo Wollner (1925–1995), born in Vienna, began studying at the Vienna Academy of Applied Arts in the master class for fashion and in the textile workshop under Eduard Josef Wimmer-Wisgrill in 1942. From 1947, he worked as a freelance collaborator in the Künstlerwerkstättenverein Wien under the direction of Josef Hoffmann. By the 1950s, together with his wife Gretl Wollner, herself an independent designer, he had begun expanding his practice to Germany. From 1957, he led the textile department at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart and also designed patterns for the British company Sanderson. Together with Gretl Wollner, he received numerous awards, including the Silver Medal in 1951 and the Gold Medal in 1954 at the Milan Triennale. His works can be admired in major collections such as MoMA in New York, the V&A in London and the MAK in Vienna.