Close to people | Stories from Bethel
1,000 hours for a high-rise building
Wooden rods, balconies, stairs, threads, several floors and built-in lights - you only discover the many details on closer inspection. When Martin Pflock is asked what kind of structure it is, he is happy to answer: "It's the Reichenwalde tower block. It doesn't exist here yet." The two-metre-high object immediately catches the eye when you enter the wood workshop of the Lobetal "Education and Employment" department in Reichenwalde.
Martin Pflock has been living in the Reichenwalde community centre, which also belongs to the Hoffnungstaler Stiftung Lobetal, for three years and the 64-year-old has been working on his artwork for just as long. "I've already spent around 1,000 hours on it," he estimates. But he doesn't know exactly. Nor is it important. On weekdays, he spends around four hours in the workshop, sometimes more, sometimes less. In spring and summer, he often spends time in the cottage garden.
The first high-rise building in Reichenwald is made from materials that end up in the rubbish elsewhere. The sticks are usually left over somewhere. "I work with the things I find or get, I take everything that isn't nailed down," explains Martin Pflock. That's why the wooden slats and sticks are sometimes square, sometimes round, sometimes short, sometimes long. "I've used 600 of these wooden sticks so far," the artist estimates. There could be more. Certainly not fewer.
Martin Pflock has experience with such things. Even as a young boy, he built vehicles out of matchsticks. Before he moved to Reichenwalde, he lived alone. He worked in a bakery and in a tyre factory. It was not a good time for him. Lobetal was a saviour for him - an anchor in a difficult phase of his life.
Recently, Martin Pflock's work was on display at an exhibition in Fürstenwalde. He received the audience award for his skyscraper at the prize-giving ceremony. Around a thousand visitors voted in his favour. The artist is proud of the award.
"I work with the things I find or get, I take everything that isn't nailed down."
Martin Pflock doesn't yet know what his next project will be. "But I can always think of something," he says. And he still has to build a garage onto his tower block. And maybe a balcony or another floor is still missing. "Maybe I can fit a few more bars in here," he ponders, pointing to a spot that is a little less densely built-up. "A tower block like this takes time," he realises. "And who knows if it will ever be finished?" It doesn't have to be. After all, the Reichenwald tower block is something very special.
Text: Wolfgang Kern | Photos: Wolfgang Kern
This story simply told
Martin Pflock lives in Reichenwalde, in a facility run by Lobetal. He has built a house from old wooden sticks in Lobetal's wood workshop. It is two metres high. He calls it the skyscraper of Reichenwalde. He has already won an award for his work of art. Martin Pflock was not well for a long time. He feels at home in the facility.
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Offer & services
The Wohnverbund Reichenwalde offers support services for people with mental disabilities or mental illnesses. This includes trying out self-care and preparing for a form of living with little supervision, as well as organising their day and promoting work, employment and training.
Contact
Wohnverbund Reichenwalde
Dahmsdorfer Str. 2-2a + Storkower Str. 1
15526 Reichenwalde
