In the sign of Eduardo Chillida’s “The Comb of the Wind”

The wind combs of the Basque artist Eduardo Chillida (1924-2002), which he installed in the 1970s on the wild Atlantic coast in front of his home town San Sebastián, are attracting attention to this event since the "Day of Interdisciplinarity", which was first organised by FiF at TU Darmstadt in 2016. Some people may also think of Chillida's large sculpture in front of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin. But what has his main work, the "The Comb of the Wind" to do with interdisciplinary research?

Where interdisciplinary research is extremely creative and sometimes produces innovative ideas, this is mainly the result of a certain intellectual effort: to imagine the impossible in order to make the new things possible. Chillida's “The Comb of the Wind” can be understood as the creative counterpart of this idea. Because “combing the wind” – is impossible. And nevertheless, the sculpture opens up the view how contrasting objects that do not belong together at first sight – the wind, the ocean, the monumental materiality of the steel sculpture – can come together. The space of an area is newly opened by the sculpture and can be experienced anew in its dynamics – like the space of thinking can be opened up again and again, because research is always confronted with ignorance and therefore results in astonishment and innovation.

The “Day of Interdisciplinarity” is an invitation to discover what is new in the field of research and to get into contact with colleagues about it – in order to obtain ideas for personal research and related questions. The event is addressed to all persons engaged and interested in interdisciplinary research, especially advanced students and junior scientists.