Artist: Maren Köster (Cologne)

Object: Friction

Cologne artist Maren Köster, born in 1975, is a visual artist who works on everything from silk to steel that she can get her hands on.

She is best known for her mostly female sculptures in steel, whether small or full-size.
She learned her craft from an established Cologne steel artist 20 years ago.
In addition to steel, she paints a lot and doesn't let herself be pigeonholed.

"For someone with such a wide range of interests, the idea of 'barn poles for cows' was a very special one that inspired me from the first moment."

In her thinking, Köster assumed that broom heads would work well for massaging large cattle. Different degrees of hardness benefit different parts of the body...: Soft natural brushes for the head and mouth, medium natural brushes for the voluminous cow body and synthetic brushes for the buttocks.

Further: In the immediate vicinity is the Wienhagen Tower, a popular destination for hikers and walkers.

In the course of the project "Scouring Poles for the Volme Valley", 20 artistically designed scouring poles will be set up in the four municipalities that have joined together to form the region Oben an der Volme. They are intended to point out special features in the Volme Valley, serve as landmarks or invite reflection. The X 20 hiking trail, which connects Schalksmühle, Halver, Kierspe and Meinerzhagen over a distance of 20 kilometers, is the bracket for the project.

The initiator and sponsor of the project is the VAKT art association from Halver. The NRW Ministry for Home Affairs, Municipal Affairs, Construction and Equality has sponsored the project. The Minister Ina Scharrenbach personally brought the funding notice to Halver on the Saturday before Christmas 2019.

Rubbing stakes have their origin in agriculture. Farmers put them on the Weide so that cattle could rub against them. In the Volmetal Valley, the stakes are also meant to figuratively indicate points of friction. They should draw attention to special places, stimulate discussion or help to rediscover home.

All information without guarantee!