The whole area is called Iktomia and consists of several beautiful and engaging art works in the grounds of the newly refurbished station complex. Many of them are large and constructed from ceramic and rusty metal, including a wall built from 20 tonnes of residue iron.
These are skilfully integrated with the natural attractiveness of the gardens, creating a series of scenes and industrial interventions with which people can interact as they pass through - be it for a meditative wander to appreciate the gardens or to visit the new restaurant or taking a brisk shortcut on their way to work.
It was part of Trieb's master design plan that Iktomia should come alive after dark as well as being appreciated during the daylight hours, and so he approached leading German distribution company LMP to assist with the specification of an appropriate lighting scheme.
It had to be both subtle and sympathetic to convey the desired aura of the space and emphasise the various sculptures. It was also vitally important that the lighting instruments were as concealed as possible from view.
LMP's Marc Petzold and Olli Winkler specified the units - 13 CitySkape 48s and nine CitySource 96s - from Robe's versatile LED series.
These - fully IP65 rated for exterior use - are rigged on catenary wires strung between the trees and suspended above the gardens, with one CitySkape 48 actually integrated in an 8 metre high iron gate which is one of the exhibits...
These were chosen for their powerful outputs, wide range of colours, quality engineering, durability, low power consumption and low on-going running costs.
They are all fitted with LumenRadio wireless receiver cards, removing the need to also run DMX data cable.
This was a huge time and cost saver and a far more practical solution, leaving only power cables to be run out to the various lighting positions.
The three Anolis ArcSource 12s are embedded in a concrete plinth at the foot of one of the largest art works - Sehnsucht - consisting of three giant rusty metal disks bearing various inscriptions - forming a 'gateway' between real and imagined worlds placed in a course of a river.
All the garden lighting is controlled by an E:cue Butler XT system, also suggested by LMP, which is programmed with eight different signature colour combinations. This is accessible via three different remote panel switch points installed in buildings around the garden, and also via an iPod Touch running an OSC App for remote accessing the solid state CueCore lighting control from Visual Productions triggering the wireless system.
Says Marc Petzold, "We were very proud to collaborate with Volker-Johannes on this project. The results are amazing, with Iktomia taking on a completely different after dark dimension through the lighting scheme, allowing people a totally new experience and angle to the work."
(Jim Evans)
