# Steel planes: Jonathan Pielmeier folds aeroplanes from sheet metal Quelle: > The sculptor Jonathan Pielmeier folds paper planes from steel and stainless steel. Insights The sculptor Jonathan Pielmeier folds paper planes from steel and stainless steel. At MVG in Frankfurt he folded a plane from mirror-polished stainless steel sheet – on display in our foyer. MVG editorial team · Values from our production and the material standards Published on 13 October 2026 · 2 min read Jonathan Pielmeier with his plane made of mirror-polished stainless steel sheet at MVG in Frankfurt. Photo: MVG ## A paper plane made of sheet metal Everyone knows the paper plane: one sheet, two hands, a few folds. Jonathan Pielmeier does the same with sheet metal. The game becomes a sculpture – and the light sheet becomes a material that resists every fold. His “steel plane” is folded from steel sheet just 0.5 mm thin. For it he received a commendation at the Austrian Steel Construction Prize for Students in 2025. The jury writes: “Shaping a paper plane is easy – folding it from steel means engaging with resistance, precision and meaning.” ## From carpenter to sculptor Jonathan Pielmeier was born in Munich in 1992 and lives and works in Vienna. From 2012 to 2014 he trained as a carpenter. He then studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts Nuremberg, from 2019 as a master student, and afterwards fine art at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. In 2025 he received the Straubing Cultural Promotion Prize. His works have been shown at Kunst.Ort.Rumpenheim in Offenbach, among other places. ## Unfolding: form beyond space About his work, Pielmeier says: “I understand sculpture as an open process. Material, movement and time are sculptural means for me. I am interested in how form can unfold beyond space.” This is exactly what his diploma work “Entfalten” (Unfolding, 2026) shows. A total of 55 steel planes are made from 173.25 m² of stainless steel. The material comes from a material sponsorship by Peter Zeman (Zeman & Co GmbH), which Pielmeier received in connection with the Steel Construction Prize for Students 2025. When a plane is sold or lent, it leaves the installation and is given a GPS tracker. In this way every journey becomes part of the sculpture: at the starting point the material becomes less, and the space of the work grows larger. ## Mirror-polished stainless steel sheet at MVG At MVG in Frankfurt am Main, Jonathan Pielmeier folded the sheet into one of his planes – from 1 mm thick, mirror-polished stainless steel sheet, right here in our hall. The reflective surface gives the plane a special 3D look: each fold breaks the light differently, and the hall is reflected in the form. He shows the [video of it](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdjFH1osHEX/) on his Instagram channel [@jonathanpielmeier](https://www.instagram.com/jonathanpielmeier/). For us it is an unusual view of our own material. We cut and bend sheet metal every day for mechanical engineering, metalwork and workshops. Here the same material becomes a sculpture. ## See the plane in our foyer The plane is currently on display in the MVG foyer at Hanauer Landstraße 421 in Frankfurt am Main. You can see it Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 15:30 and on Friday from 8:00 to 14:00 – for example when you collect material from us. Would you like a plane by Jonathan Pielmeier yourself? We will gladly put you in touch – [write to us](https://mvg-frankfurt.de/en/contact). ## Sheet metal for your own projects If you want to work with sheet metal yourself, we supply cut-to-size parts from one piece – with an instant price in the browser, for collection in Frankfurt or by shipping. [Sheet metal cut to size →](https://mvg-frankfurt.de/en/sheet-metal-cutting) ## Matching products [configurator **Sheet metal cut to size** Material, thickness, size – instant price. *Configure cut-to-size →*](https://mvg-frankfurt.de/en/sheet-metal-cutting) · [Workshop **For makers and workshops** Example projects with the part designer. *View projects →*](https://mvg-frankfurt.de/en/makers) ## Sources & further information - [Instagram: video of Jonathan Pielmeier at MVG (21 Sept 2026) ↗](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdjFH1osHEX/) - [Kunst.Ort.Rumpenheim: Jonathan Pielmeier ↗](https://www.kunst-ort-rumpenheim.de/künstler/jonathan-pielmeier/) - [Austrian Steel Construction Prize for Students 2025: jury statements ↗](https://www.stahlbauverband.at/download/526/jurybegruendungen.pdf) - [ARTCARE: Entfalten (2026) ↗](https://works.artcare.at/emerging-art/jonathan-pielmeier-entfalten-double_3402) - [Ritter Foundation: Straubing Cultural Promotion Prize 2025 ↗](https://ritter-stiftung.org/aktivitaeten/kulturfoerderpreis/2025) ## Questions about your part? Our sales team advises you on material, manufacturing and delivery time. [Call: (069) 94 21 30 - 0](tel:+496994213000) · [Email info@mvg-frankfurt.de](mailto:info@mvg-frankfurt.de?subject=Question%20about%3A%20Steel%20planes%3A%20Jonathan%20Pielmeier%20folds%20aeroplanes%20from%20sheet%20metal) ## Related articles - [About MVG AI agents in purchasing: why we run an MCP server for sheet metal parts Interfaces alone are not enough for AI agents. They need context: what can be made, what it costs, when it will be ready. How our MCP server provides this, and why a person still places the order in the end. 3 min read Read the article →](https://mvg-frankfurt.de/en/magazine/ai-agents-mcp-server) - [Design & manufacturing Getting laser parts fast: what determines the delivery time Which delivery time levels there are, why bends and threads count, when the order cut-off applies and which parts qualify for Express 24 h. 4 min read Read the article →](https://mvg-frankfurt.de/en/magazine/getting-laser-parts-fast) - [Insights When aluminium becomes a racing car A look back at 2023: how MVG supported the DART Racing Team from Darmstadt with aluminium – and why practical projects belong in university studies. 1 min read Read the article →](https://mvg-frankfurt.de/en/magazine/mvg-dart-racing)