James Turrell, the "sculptor of light" born in 1943, is the starting point for the transformation of one of the last testimonies of hard coal mining in Oelsnitz/Erzgeb. The region will receive an art gallery, which will be built within the structures of a forge from the 1920s at the former Kaiserin-Augusta shaft.

The 81-year-old American Turrell has achieved world fame as a "sculptor of light". "Light is something we normally only use to illuminate other things," he once said of his work. "I am interested in light that has a materiality itself, that does not illuminate other things, but becomes an illumination itself."

Under the title "Beyond Horizons", the work completes the "Purple Path", the art and sculpture trail that connects Chemnitz, as the European Capital of Culture 2025, with more than 30 locations in the surrounding area. The art trail follows the narrative "Everything comes from the mountain". The works of art usually consist of minerals that were once mined in the Ore Mountains, such as ore, copper, tin, cobalt, kaolin, and materials necessary for mining, such as wood and light.

The visitor can expect a three-dimensional walk-in light sculpture in a shadowless room. Changing light colors blur space and time.

Between 1844 and 1971, 142 million tons of coal were mined from the shafts of the Lugau-Oelsnitz coalfield; the forge built in 1923 was part of the mine's infrastructure.
The site of the former Hall 18 offers approximately 1,600 m² of space and setting for James Turrell's light artwork and formulates a radically new approach to understanding listed industrial substance.

The original three-aisled industrial building could not be preserved due to its completely dilapidated condition. The entire steel structure including the crane track was dismantled, is being restored based on the original findings and more than 60% of it is being rebuilt.
According to our design, the actual art gallery will be built into the new "frame" that will be created. The entrance to the building, which has a facade made of Corten steel, is reminiscent of a mine portal, the entrance to a tunnel in the Saxon mining industry.

The project will be linked to the Coal World via newly designed outdoor areas that follow the orthogonality of the industrial structure.

The work of art is financed by the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH with funds from the city of Chemnitz, the Free State of Saxony, the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union.

The client for the art gallery is the city of Oelsnitz/Erzgebirge. The measure is financed by the state brownfield program, urban development funding (urban redevelopment area Neuoelsnitz-Südost) and the FR-Regio funding program.

KunstHalle 18 | Beyond Horizons
Transformation of Hall 18 as part of sustainable urban development

Category: Public, Industry, Interior, Open Space
Client: City of Oelsnitz/Erzgeb.

Design: Hendrik Heine | Matthias Lanzendorf

Services: Object planning Phase I + II, Lph 1 – 9; structural planning Phase I, fire protection, sound insulation, thermal insulation, SiGe
Project partners: cdf sound insulation, Schälzky civil engineers, Rolf Sattler engineering office for occupational safety, Lanzendorf landscape architecture

Start of service: 2023
Completion: 2025