‘Tiger and Turtle’ is a walking rollercoaster

PHOTOGRAPHS: Mutter Genth

Since the end of last year, the sleek, curvaceous folds of a rollercoaster have adorned the peak of a park in the south of Duisburg, Germany. The dynamic sweeps and twists of the alien construction inscribe themselves into the scenery like a signature.

From a  distance, the metallic track creates an impression of speed and acceleration. But viewed from close-up it reveals itself to be an elaborately winding stairway, and not an adrenaline-inducing coaster.

Visitors are able to climb this artwork by foot, and traverse its twists and turns at their own pace (although the loop itself is insurmountable). The highest point of the sculpture, some 45 metres above ground level, rewards the visitor with glorious views across the landscape of the Western Ruhr.

Dubbed ‘Tiger and Turtle’, the name refers to the dialectic between speed and deadlock, which has other implications for the Duisberg region as it negotiates an era of change and wholesale restructuring. Though the sculpture conveys an absurd twist in in the otherwise placid landscape, it is nonetheless expected that ‘Tiger and Turtle’ will become a regional landmark, as visitors flock to walk its Escher-esque pathways, and snap photographs of its undulating form silhouetted against the dusk sky.

Standing 21 metres high atop a 44 x 37 metre base, the sculpture (designed by Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genthe  in collaboration with Arnold Walz) is not only one of the largest artworks in Germany, but is also a masterpiece in engineering.

Mutter and Genthe have been collaborating on artistic projects in public spaces for the last eight years. Their works are “site-specifically and contextually developed, and reflect in a manifold way the conditions of publicness.” The duo have been living and working in Hamburg, where Heike Mutter holds professorship at the Hochschule für bildende Künste.

To find out more, visit  www.phaenomedia.org