The publication documents the development of Franz Erhard Walther’s artistic practice from the early 1960s onward, focusing on

his radical redefinition of sculpture as an action-based and participatory medium. Rather than producing autonomous objects, Walther conceives artworks as systems that require bodily engagement, positioning the viewer as an active participant in the realization of form.

Central to the book is the examination of Walther’s “work pieces,” which are activated through gestures such as wearing, holding, folding, or moving. These actions transform sculpture into a temporal and relational process, in which meaning emerges through use rather than visual contemplation. Material, instruction, and bodily presence function as inseparable components of the work.

The publication situates Walther’s practice within the broader context of postwar conceptual and performative art, emphasizing its influence on later developments in installation, participation, and institutional critique. Through essays and extensive visual documentation, the book traces how sites of production and sites of experience become structurally linked, underscoring Walther’s enduring contribution to an expanded understanding of sculpture as lived experience rather than static form.