Tate Modern Invites you to:
become a work of art
lose control
feel the enormity of this space
let yourself go
listen
run away
participate
interact
travel into the unknown
enjoy yourselves
enter into a work of art
watch
question the use of this exhibitive space
The Bankside Museum of London, the Tate Modern, has been transformed into an entertainment park in which visitors may "travel" on five great slides which connect the space reserved for galleries to that of the Sala of the Turbine. This
Helter skelter, which in English has the double sense of Russian montage and a state of hurry and disorganisation, is the fruit of an installation of the German artist Carsten Holler entitled Test Site.
Test Site is the celebration of the slide as a form of transport, inducing pleasure and giddiness; a sort of demand to go beyond the traditional kind of games and entertainment park. The slide is 55.5 metres long and connects the fifth floor of the gallery with the ground floor of the Turbine Room which is 26.5 metres lower down.
The two smaller slides, which are the same length and shape, but constructed opposite each other, are 16 metres long and connect the bridge which is 7.5 metres from the ground of the Turbine Room . All the slides have slopes of between 30 and 35 degrees .
Holler has stated that the installation is an experiment which seeks to understand the effects produced on those who use it. In the imagination of Holler sliding is like finding yourself under the influence of drugs, an emotive experience, but also a fast and efficient way of connecting point A with point B. It is a recreative space for body and mind. "It is art and not art". A spokesperson for the Tate Gallery has declared that that: "the installation is an 'experiment to understand how and if it is possible to use the slide in existing and future buildings . because the frequent use of the slide could develope changes of behaviour and new perceptions in everday life.." The works of Holler sweep from the purely conceptual to the minutely architectonic. They are concerned with human behaviour , experiences of masses and in altered spaces. Very often there is a demand for a particular collective and complete participation which, as in the cases of the Turbine Room, invite the public to let go and travel into the unknown. Used to works on a grand scale, Holler is mainly interested in the concept of "self", the research of the logic and beauty of the unknown. He has realised many projects aimed at the interaction of visitors, as for example Flying Machines (1996)
which raises visitors in the air, Upside Down Goggles (1994/2001) which modifies sight, and Frisbee House (2000) which is a room full of frisbees. The slides, like his previous works, interrogate human behaviour, perception and logic, offering the possibility of helping exploration during the process. The five slides hosted inside the Tate Modern could multiply in London and elsewhere. For this reason the Tate Modern has commissioned two architecutural studies included in the catalogue for this exhibition.
The first, realized by Foreign Office architects, explores the use of slides as a possible constructive element in which walls and external skeleton of the building are realised with slides. The second, on the other hand, realised by the General Public Agency accertains the use of slides in London. Holler has developed the idea of the slide since 1998 , with installations in Berlin, New York, Helsinki, Milan andBoston. Six projects have been completed up to now, including the slide realised in the offices of the Prada offices in Milan, which connects the office of Miuccia Prada with his automobile.
