One hundred feet of pure architectural delight and madness await the visitors to Vitra Magazine’s campus in the German city of Weil am Rhein. Designed by the mad installation artist Carsten Höller, whom we’ve seen apply the scientific method to museum-goers in New York, the ‘Vitra Slide Tower’ consists of a crazy corkscrew slide, a twisting staircase supported by metal columns, and a giant clock that doesn’t actually tell time.
Advertisement
The 20-foot-wide clock is lit up at night, but no amount of light can illuminate what the clock is trying to say. Firstly, the thing has no numbers. This isn’t usually a problem, but it’s face is supported both by the tower, which rises vertically, and a diagonal column, which supports it from an angle. On top of that, the face constantly rotates on it’s axis. Reading this clock is more trouble than it’s worth—but that’s the point. You're supposed to lose track of time as you surge down the slide in a rush of adrenaline.
The slide itself is 125 feet long, curled into a gorgeous tubular corkscrew. Its entrance is 56 feet from the ground, housed by a panoramic observation deck. From here you can observe the people observing the slide, as well as the nature-packed Vitra Campus.The duality of the slide is that it acts as both a means of transportation and a thing of beauty that can be appreciate from afar as well. “The slides are one of the building’s means of transporting people, equivalent to the escalators, elevators or stairs,” Höller said in an interview with Designboom. “They’re also a device for experiencing an emotional state that is a unique condition somewhere between delight and madness.” We can’t think of a better possible way to describe the stomach-floating glee felt when accelerating toward the Earth through a twirling metal tube with a defunct giant clock on top. After all, they say time stands still when you're having fun.
ONE EMAIL. ONE STORY. EVERY WEEK. SIGN UP FOR THE VICE NEWSLETTER.
By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.
