A striking 21-foot-tall sculpture called the "Consumer Angler" will be installed on Friday night atop the Youth Office building at Thielenplatz in Hannover, Germany. The colorful art installation, which depicts a figure fishing for shopping bags hanging from the building's facade, is designed to spark discussions about the changing role of city centers in the digital age.
The installation will take place overnight between Thursday and Friday using a mobile crane, requiring the closure of nearly the entire intersection for several hours. According to Getec spokesperson Arne Oltrogge, the nighttime installation is necessary because bus traffic runs between 1 AM and 5 AM, making it the only feasible time for crane operations.
Getec Immobilien, the real estate subsidiary of the Hannover and Magdeburg-based energy company Getec, owns the building and commissioned the sculpture. Michael Behrens, managing director of Getec Immobilien, explained that city centers are currently struggling with competition from online retail and dampened consumer behavior. "We would be happy if the sculpture encourages reflection or conversations about consumer behavior," Behrens said. "But if people simply enjoy the cheerful splash of color in the city center, then that's already a lot gained."
The sculpture is intended to serve as more than just decoration. The brightly colored Consumer Angler sits on the roof, appearing to fish for shopping bags that hang lower on the building's facade. Getec explicitly does not classify the installation as "art on building" – that designation is reserved for pieces like the bronze sculpture "Togetherness" by artist Wolfgang Mehl at the Youth Office entrance. Instead, Behrens refers to it as "building decoration."
Weighing 1.5 tons – roughly equivalent to a mid-size car – the sculpture was created in collaboration with advertising designer Helmar Brodehl and his B:Sign agency. The company provided significant support with all aspects of the building permit process, as sculptures of this size and weight require construction approval. The figure was manufactured by Accentform, a specialized company in Nienstädt run by entrepreneur Jürgen Maicher, who creates custom sculptural elements for theme parks, corporations, major presentations, and television shows, including work for "Sendung mit der Maus."
The Consumer Angler was precision-cut from a styrofoam block using computer technology and then coated with glass fiber reinforced plastic (GRP), which gives the colors their vibrant appearance. The sculpture is designed to look like an oversized toy: comic-like, playful, and almost childlike, according to Getec. The company deliberately chose bold colors and forms as a contrast to the clear, reduced architecture of the modernized building.
The building itself has an interesting history. Getec purchased the former railway administration property, which was transformed from a typical 1970s concrete structure into a modern administrative building with ground-floor dining and retail spaces by 2020. The renovation was carried out by Hannover architectural firm Schulze Partner Architekten (spa), and the city's Youth and Family Department moved in as the primary office tenant.
Behrens emphasized that the installation doesn't necessarily need to be permanent. "We'll let ourselves be surprised by the reactions and then decide how to proceed," the Getec managing director said. He suggested the sculpture could potentially relocate in a few years, noting that "it could, for example, also decorate a kindergarten or playground."
The sculpture aims to represent broader urban challenges, with accompanying text stating that "a city center is more than just shops – it's encounter, movement, exchange." From its position atop the so-called Joachims-Carrée, the Consumer Angler can oversee the life of the city, from the magnificent Opera House to business traffic and pedestrians waiting at traffic lights. The installation is expected to become a new Instagram selfie spot for Hannover, adding a whimsical element to the cityscape while encouraging reflection on modern consumer culture and the evolving function of urban centers.
