Building a Colossal Kugelbahn in a Nazi Submarine Base
Art in a U-boat Pen - St. Nazaire, France
In 2014, Studio Jeppe Hein was invited to exhibit a large-scale work in what was previously a Nazi submarine base in St. Nazaire, France. The space itself, in recent years used as an event and exhibition space called LiFE, is nothing short of monumental in size, with walls of concrete many meters thick and interior expanses not usually afforded to singular artists.
(formerly a Nazi submarine base)
To contrast the dark and oppressive environment of the former submarine base, Jeppe (the artist at the head of Studio Jeppe Hein) decided to use the space to create an expansive version of his work titled Distance, a large-scale kinetic installation inspired by the popular German kids toy called a kugelbahn (sometimes called a "marble run" in English). Distance is a modular steel track that is adjusted to respond to the specific spatial characteristics of the gallery or exhibition space. Like all of Jeppe's work, Distance inspires a playful and interactive environment for the visitors. Upon entry to the space, each visitor triggers a sensor that releases a white ball onto the track. The visitor is encouraged to follow the ball throughout the space, following it around sharp bends, loops and spirals, under bridges and down steep inclines. With this new iteration in 2014, I was tasked with redesigning the existing concept to fit within the architectural configuration of the submarine base, as well as designing new "features" that helped concentrate the enormous installation around specific engaging moments.
Studio Jeppe Hein - Distance, 2014
Below you will find our insanely complicated plan drawing for the final installation at LiFE in St. Nazaire, France, as well as drawings of the four "features" I designed to concentrate the track around contained and visually interesting moments within the giant space.
Completed Installation
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
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Very interesting and mesmerizing all that the same time... brings back memories of some of the nutty things we did as kids.
Cool to see this as a large scale public installation.
Thanks @denmarkguy!