A Sky Full of Hope

Opening Night

On Tuesday, 11 August, Frankfurt will celebrate the unveiling of an extraordinary piece of artwork: the net sculpture A Sky Full of Hope – Earthtime 1.78 Frankfurt by US artist Janet Echelman will be officially opened.

Schedule for the evening:

• From 20:00: Drinks and snacks available for purchase from the market association.
• Approx. 21:00: Official opening with speeches by Mayor Mike Josef, Head of Cultural Affairs Dr Ina Hartwig and artist Janet Echelman.
• 21:30 – 22:00: Light play specially curated by the artist, plus a musical staging of the sculpture by Parviz Mir-Ali.
• 23:00: Event ends.

In perfect keeping with the guiding theme of Design for Democracy, the net symbolises social cohesion: every knot counts and it is the connections themselves that create stability – a fitting reflection of Frankfurt's diverse population from 178 nations.

Suspended more than seven metres in the air and spanning more than 200 square metres, the vibrant artwork stretches across the Konstablerwache plateau. It changes constantly in response to wind, weather and light.

Echelman deliberately chose the highly frequented, often tense space of the Konstablerwache to transform how it is experienced. At the same time, the structure of the net highlights that we are part of complex, interdependent systems, both ecologically and socially.

Everyone is warmly invited to join the opening.

As Echelman says, 'All you have to do is look up.' No registration is required.

Additional information about the event:

• The location is accessible to people with disabilities.
• The event is open to the public and free of charge.
• Music composition / Music production / Sound design: Parviz Mir-Ali

Additional note:

The budget does not come from the current city culture budget; consequently, no cuts have been made elsewhere in the city’s arts, culture or science budgets. It originally came from the City Marketing department’s ‘City Centre Initiative’ and was earmarked for the ‘City Centre Illumination’ project. As the funds could not be used in 2024, City Marketing set the budget aside so that it could be put to good use at a later date. The 2025 supplementary budget enabled the funds to continue to be used and provided additional funding to top them up.