who | Primary School Garden

Since 2007, a socially committed sculpture by Thomas Stricker has been growing at the primary school in Kalkfeld, a town in Namibia in southern Africa. In the beginning there was a demand from the Namibian Ministry of Education and the school’s wish for practical lessons in agriculture. This was the reason for the artist to create a school garden together with the teachers and students. In the first ten years, the “Primary School Garden Project” has continued to grow. Right into the township itself. Petra Knyrim has also been part of this trust-building commitment since 2017. “We assist the school!” in everything that is necessary and as best we can. From water projects, a healing station to a school hall. The garden project has become a global social sculpture. With the aim of realizing further great visions of intercultural development cooperation, which improve the living conditions of the children and the future prospects of the young people in Kalkfeld and beyond.

For many years, the artist Thomas Stricker (*1962) has been able to achieve great things with conviction and enthusiasm. He studied sculpture at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. In addition to sculptural projects in a wide variety of public spaces, Stricker also often realizes socially and ecologically oriented projects as open, participatory processes. He sees shaping society as a sculptural task and works across continents. www.thomasstricker.ch

Petra Knyrim (*1967) has had the African continent in her heart and in her mind since she was young. She was aware of her grace of birth from an early age. She studied communication design in Darmstadt and Düsseldorf and is a co-founder of nowakteufelknyrim, a design office that designs and implements communication media, signage systems and exhibitions, and which always lets her go her own way. To write children’s books. To raise a son. To discover the world. All the way to Africa.