Glowing art
October 26, 2009
Thirty years ago, the last shipment of beer left the Linden Brewery in Unna, a blue-collar town in northwestern Germany. Now the brewery's series of cold rooms and cellars - left entirely unrestored - are home to the Center for International Light Art.
"The idea was to bring light art here because it's one of the most innovative kinds of art there is," curator Ursula Sinnreich told Deutsche Welle.
The dark basement not only provides a mysterious and glamorous backdrop for the artwork, the labyrinthine structure allows each piece a room of its own.
Acclaimed light artists like James Turrell and Joseph Kosuth were attracted by the ideal environment in the former brewery and in 2001 the world's first museum dedicated exclusively to light art opened in Unna.
Broken words and suspended water
Each room appeals to the senses in a different way, whether through blaring neon lights, shadows, or water.
In one room, Dusseldorf-based artists Mischa Kuball projects words onto mirrored balls in an installation entitled "Space Speech Speed." The words are broken into a thousand pieces as they are reflected onto the wall.
"In this work, Kuball references new communication media that have completely changed the world in recent years," said museum tour guide Imke Tietje. "Mobile phones and the Internet have set the world in motion; everyone is reachable at any time. Boundaries are broken - and that's what's reflected in this room."
Visitors inevitably walk through the line of projection in Kuball's work, becoming part of the installation themselves.
In another room, Danish artist Olafur Eliasson has set up a disco-like strobe light. Visitors are invited to walk across a narrow platform flanked on both sides by drops of water. The rhythm of the strobe light is synchronized with the falling water drops, which seem to come to standstill.
Anyone can experience art
While light art insiders make the pilgrimage to Unna, the majority of the museum's visitors are local - and that's the organizers' aim.
"We want to reach a broader group," said Sinnreich," not necessarily just experts who go to the Documenta in Kassel."
Essen the Ruhr Region, which includes Unna, takes on the title of European Culture Capital next year and the exhibitors at the Center for International Light Art are hoping that will help draw a wider audience.
Author: Sola Huelsewig (kjb)
Editor: Sean Sinico