A gnarled branch appears to have grown together with a dried-out flower head. Delicate jets of water shoot up from several points of the tank, which is filled with marshland plants. The sculptural fountain Gronggusunna employs the principle of combination that Maria Ceppi has established in her Objets Cultes. In the central sculpture, a section of vine or “Gronggu” (the Walser German term for a dried out tree trunk or branch) is combined with a “Sunna” (the Walser German term for sunflower), made from a metal connecting pipe, a reservoir of aquatic plants, and lids of pillboxes, to create a new, richly sensual and organic entity.

While a vine becomes less productive with age, the grapes become more concentrated and the roots grow deeper, so that it is still able to take in enough water and nutrients in dry summers. The sunflower embodies long life, vitality, and good fortune. It is one of the compass plants, whose heads always face the sun: this constant optimal orientation enhances the production of sunflower oil.

Cast in bronze and subject to the presence of the water, the sculpture will oxidize and change its color over time.