TOP 10 large-scale artworks of 2019 Designboom
from the transformation of a disused gas station in arkansas to a mirrored cabin that reflects the sublime alpine landscape, 2019 saw a number of large scale art installations completed around the globe. each of the projects — whether they be temporary, permanently fixed, interactive, or informative in nature — engaged audiences with a memorable experience, while challenging the definition of the term ‘art installation’. continuing our annual review of the year’s BIG stories, we take a look at the TOP 10 large-scale artworks that caught our eye in 2019.
klaus littmann transforms austrian football stadium into native central european forest
swiss curator klaus littmann has transformed the wörthersee football stadium in klagenfurt, austria, into a native central european forest, in support of today’s most pressing issues of climate change and deforestation. opening 8 september 2019, for forest – the unending attraction of nature marks the country’s largest public art installation to date, with almost 300 trees, some weighing up to six tons each, carefully installed on the existing pitch.
in for forest, klaus littmann has brought to life the unending attraction of nature, a dystopian drawing by austrian artist and architect max peintner that he discovered almost thirty years ago. the monumental art intervention, which sees the wörthersee football stadium transformed into a native central european forest of almost 300 trees, aims to challenge our perception of nature and question its future, upon today’s pressing issues of climate change and deforestation. by enclosing an entire forest within the stadium, the project seeks to remind us that nature, which we so often take for granted, may someday only be found in specially designated spaces, as is already the case with animals in zoos.
overseen by enea landscape architecture, the forest comprises a diverse range of species such as silver birch, alder, aspen, white willow, hornbeam, field maple and common oak, which, will take on a life of their own, changing colors as the season turns and attract wildlife. after the public art installation ends on 27 october 2019, the forest will be carefully replanted on a public site in close proximity to wörthersee stadium at a scale of 1:1 and remain as a living ‘forest sculpture’. parallel to this, a pavilion is planned in order to document the project for the long-term.
1 – JR transforms the louvre with epic optical illusion
2 – edoardo tresoldi rebuilds a ruin in northern italy
3 – klaus littmann turns football stadium into native central european forest
4 – alex chinneck ‘unzips’ a building’s façade for milan design week
5 – doug aitken puts a mirage on a snowy mountain landscape
6 – teamLab transforms jewel changi airport into a luminous forest
7 – camille walala transforms gas station into colorful arkansas landmark
8 – lines of light mark inevitable sea level rise from climate change
9 – jaume plensa exhibits seven sculptures at calatrava’s city of arts and sciences
10 – lorenzo quinn joins giant hands to ‘build bridges’ in venice
