20 kilos
“Once a day, a delivery of books and other lending items that we have ordered from the depot arrives at our library. The items come in tubs, each of which weighs 20 kilogrammes on average. Since the number of items we need to order has sharply increased, we use a service provider who only uses electric vehicles for its deliveries. They collect the books from our depot in Oberschleissheim. Because the tubs are not very convenient for us to work with, we put the items on trolleys and then move them to their respective places on the floors in Hall E.”
Eight tonnes
“The biggest loads in the Gasteig HP8 are moved by the yellow crane at the very top of Hall E. In the past, it was used to move transformers back and forth inside the hall. It was built in 1982 and can lift up to eight tonnes. Today we use the crane to suspend our rigs, which hold stage lights and loudspeakers. They can weigh up to a tonne or two. Only people with a crane operator’s licence are allowed to operate it, and because of safety rules only when there is nobody about. This crane is a real asset for the Gasteig HP8: Events in Hall E, such as the Salsa Night would look pretty bleak if it wasn’t for our crane.”
40 kilos
“I play one of the heaviest instruments in the orchestra: My harp weighs almost 40 kilos. Luckily, the orchestra’s harp always stays with the orchestra, so I don’t have to transport it myself. When I’m out and about with my own, private harp, I use a harp trolley, a kind of handcart, to transport it. When you play the harp, it feels light as a feather. I just tilt it slightly towards me and support it with my knee. But you need strong fingers. After over 30 years of practising, mine are so strong that I can open any jar.”
Text: Heike Braun
