An Escher-Like Rollercoaster In West-Germany

Imagine an abandoned waste dump in West-Germany, with a rollercoaster on top. As soon as you get closer, it appears to be an elevated pathway that looks like a thrilling rollercoaster ride. This great shiny steel sculpture is entitled Tiger & Turtle Magic Mountain and designed by the German artists Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth.

The illusion of a closed loop makes the track attractive to walk the entire course, but when you reach the looping in the middle, people will realize it’s impossible to walk upside down and have to turn around. On the highest point of the installation, about 45 meters above the ground, visitors will be awarded with a magnificent view over the Ruhr Area with industrial heritage alternated with forest scenery. The installation refers to the rapid change of the region of the Ruhr area in West-Germany:

“Tiger & Turtle refers with its immanent dialectic of speed and deadlock to the situation of change in the region and its turn towards renaturation and restructuring. While the sculpture conveys an absurd twist regarding the inherent expectation of the image created by a rollercoaster, it reflects its own role as potential trans-regional landmark which will be inevitably pocketed as image.”

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