Red Bull commissioned Clemens Neugebauer and Martin Kölldorfer to create a large-scale sculpture for its race track in Spielberg, Austria, in 2010. The sculpture was inspired by an earlier idea to build a 23-metre-high bull leaping over the end of the curved track, which was discarded due to environmental concerns.
As a result, in 2010 the notion of a Red Bull landmark resurfaced, with the aim of creating a sculpture large enough to be seen by passing motorists from the neighbouring motorway, a distance of about two kilometres. After lengthy negotiations with the client, the final design was decided on a bull that was distinct from the iconic Red Bull emblem, as well as an arch through which the bull would leap. As a result of these factors, the project was moved from the last corner to one of the most prominent loops on the racetrack.
Red Bull wanted a sculpture of its mascot to be made of red carpet fabric and weigh 0.6 tonnes. An elaborate mock-up was created to show the scale of the project to the client and a two-dimensional prototype 17 metres wide and 16 metres high, the Red Bull sponsor, was developed before funds could be allocated.
The client’s request for the bull to jump over an arch was a major visual hurdle. To balance the “masculinity” of the steel bull, we decided to create a “feminine” equivalent that was not symmetrical and free-form. Because any support structure would be visible from the outside, Martin Kölldorfer came up with the concept of applying biomimetics and sculpting the support system to look like the skeleton of a bull. However, we quickly got to work with 3D specialist Richard Maierhofer to develop a parallel three-dimensional model to confirm the practicality of the existing design. Hand-drawn sketches were used in the early stages of the project, as is the case with many others.
Neugebauer and M. Köhldorfer unveiled the huge 17×23 m aluminium arch sculpture. The 83 foam moulds were created robotically using a modified version of KUKA|prc on a KUKA KR150-2 robot that the artists purchased from the automotive industry for this project. The Association helped them set up the robot, customise KUKA|prc for their specific needs and develop a process to manufacture all elements of the arch effectively.
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