He studied metallurgical engineering from 1954 to 1957 and from 1972 to 1974 at the
RWTH Aachen, and from 1994 to 2004 at the
Heinrich-Heine University in Düsseldorf. He worked as a photographer and designer from 1957 to 2019, and from 1966 to 2019 as a lighting artist. In 1963–1964, he was a visiting lecturer at the
Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm. In 1977, he took part in
documenta 6 in Kassel, where he installed, with
Peter Hertha, the first permanent laser sculpture in the world. Other installations include the Rheinturm in Düsseldorf (1982), the Neonskulptur "Pass the Cross" in Bielefeld-Sennestadt (1988), and the light remodeled at the Rheinturm Düsseldorf 2003. His work has been shown internationally, including in the
Museum of Modern Art, in
New York City in 1965, and in 1967 and 1969 in the
Biennale des Jeunes in
Paris. == Death ==