Wiedereröffnung: Olaf Nicolai. Labyrinth

Olaf Nicolai's labyrinth has stood in the garden of the GfZK since 1998. The social sculpture is one of the most iconic public artworks in Leipzig - and is particularly popular with children. The labyrinth explores the tension between naturalness and artificiality and consists of industrially produced plastic brooms used by the Paris city cleaning service. The components become brittle due to the constant exposure to UV rays and the weather. Together with the artist, designers and material researchers, investigations were carried out between 2023 and 2024 to create a sustainable version of the artwork that does justice to the original artistic concept. To this end, the Rotterdam design studio The New Raw and the Leipzig Plastics Center took material samples and examined them. Together with the French manufacturer of the brooms, a solution was found: a UV-resistant additive was added to the polypropylene from which the brooms are made especially for the Leipzig labyrinth. This allows the artwork to last longer. The New Raw is using the material from the version that was dismantled in the fall of 2024 to make seating for the GfZK. As a model, the project is also intended to provide inspiration for other museums with their own collections that are faced with similar challenges.

Program:

• Artist talk with Olaf Nicolai
• Presentation with The New Raw
• Lecture performance by Spector Books
• 7th anniversary of Bäckerei Backstein with band and DJs