With the gesture of a land art object, the Tetraeder was designed in cooperation with artist Gunilla Bandolin, and manifests a unique site along the shoreline of lake Trummen in Växjö. While being both a landmark and site-specific art object, the Tetraeder is a fusion of sculpture and outdoor gym that presents itself on a slightly raised platform as a well-defined node and meeting point within the large recreational area. Strollers and joggers may discover the site from a far distance, appearing as of its somewhat mystic connotations – a pyramidal archaic object – whilst on close encounter, it becomes a practical utility item and a stage for performative action.
The 20-meter-wide pyramid is entirely made of highly detailed wooden elements, each side with a different expression and a different function. The side towards the gym area consists of a tilted surface for climbing exercise and the platform offers dedicated and thoroughly designed work out tools, also manufactured in wood and steel. The opposite side contains high stairs for workout programs while the side towards the lake offers large terraces for both exercise, relaxation, and informal recreational use. The Tetraeder offers grand vistas of the lake and park from the open-air stairs, mediating a landscape experience if pictorial beauty while the climbing to the summit involves both old and young in a larger quest with a broad spectrum of allusions.
The project generates a well-defined public space and outdoor exercise facility where its artistic aspects are turned into a something rational and concrete. The projects converge experiences of art and landscape to a wider audience, and its character of observatory makes the poetic experiences of the landscape tangible. The project advocates an artistic practice, while stressing the utilitarian aspects and eliminating unnecessary mannerism showing the possibilities of intersectional work between artists and architects. An open work, conveying an immediate art experience and simultaneously offering flawless work out conditions for a contemporary preference.
Adress; Tingsrydsvägen 355 91 Växjö
THE TETRAEDER, VÄXJÖ SWEDEN
A site-specific outdoor gym
Landscape architects: Liljewall
co-operation with visual artist Gunilla Bandolin
Design year 2017
Realization 2018
