On the basis of the aesthetical-formal contrapposition of the two different shapes - military building of the XIII century versus velodrome of the second half of the XX century - Metzel’s sculpture fosters different associations. The central aspect of this work is the communication between the work of art and the visitor/fruitor. Metzel is immediately creating the basis for dialogue because the velodrome is ‘usable’: you can ride a bike or skateboard on it or simply sit on its stands to chat. Velodromes and soccer fields always come with advertizing billboards and therefore also the elegant Metzel’s velodrome is decorated with logos. These are peculiar logos, thou: they in fact represent the sponsors and supporters of the Arte all’ Arte exhibition. The mixed financing of non-commercial exhibitions is normally revealed to the public in a very discrete way: names and logos of the supporters are in fact printed somewhere on a neglectable corner of the catalogue. On the Metzel’s sculpure, on the contrary, public and private sponsors - the very essence of mixed financing, representing both the Samsonian effort of exhibitions’ curators and the Damocle sword of the invited artists - are presented in a provocative way, non-renounceable part of the very work of art as much as adveritizing is nowadays part of our very lives.
Confronting directly, both from an aesthetical and a topographic point of view, medioeval military architecture and contemporary sport architecture, Metzel hints to an important historical aspect, drawing the attention to the link between sport and war.