Simon Takasaki shared with us his competition entry for a monument in Duhamel, Germany. Holding the path of the history of the place and its use to its open, undefined future, the 30 meter high walk-in sculpture is characterized by the special treatment of the history of the site and the end of the mining industry. More images and architect’s description after the break.
As a memorial, the sculpture offers the viewer a path within a mountain landscape appearing topography. Thus, this path leads over a natural base of broken bricks, boulders and a harmonic changing landscape into a cavernous, but light and airy, almost nature-sacred main hall.
This space is in its very nature contemplative and inspiring at the same time. It serves for exhibitions or smaller events such as chamber music, a reading or a play. The light and airy space tries, in its nature, not to distinguish itself from the outside world, but it wants to project the character of the mining industry from the depths of the mountain onto the surface. The geometry is the impression of being in a cave and at the same time communicating in an integrative blend with the outside world. The syncretic inversion of the mountain surrounds the visitor as a space continuum and extends to the observation deck.
Seen from outside, the sculpture seems to be formed by invisible forces of nature to an amorphous entity. On the one hand, strong winds have been compressed and form a dynamic, harmonious formation. On the other hand, destructive forces and dissonances are at work and fragment the choreography of the monument. Following the chronology of location, the sculpture grows in a dense language from the earth in the past in order to dissolve completely and split at its ends to the future. EVERREST is the monument to the end of mining in the heap Duhamel. If we have come to the peace, we can come to rest.
