New Ark Installation / Tideland Studio

New Urban Space Invites Reflection and Action.

In a narrow alley in the Godsbanen area of Aarhus, New Ark can be found – an artistic experience that encourages reflection on the body, architecture, and the rapid changes of the climate.

Art and Climate. New Ark is constructed near Aarhus School of Architecture and consists of a 50-meter-long artwork made of undulating concrete tiles and polished steel lifebuoys. It is the result of a unique collaboration between architects and artists to transform a narrow passage into an urban space of high artistic value. To address one of our time’s greatest challenges, the team has focused on water – an element with both alluring and destructive properties.

As if thrown from the city’s rooftops, the three lifebuoys lie embedded in the concrete surface, creating ripples. Using digital simulations, the movement of the water has been captured in the split second when the three lifebuoys touch the water. Waves and splashes are captured in minute detail, providing a fascinating insight into water’s otherwise ephemeral nature.

A tribute to the place. The presence of water in the alley serves as a warning of rising sea levels, but also as a tribute to the invisible history of the place. The artwork is located on a site that, 100 years ago, was a flooded natural landscape. When visiting the place today, one can rest on the lifebuoys, whose mirror-like surfaces bring the sky down to the street and distort the architecture’s stringent lines.

The waves in the tiles create a dynamic walking experience that prompts passersby to reflect on the relationship between the rhythm of the body and that of the waves. In this way, the alleys’ elongated character is utilized to create a surprising and sensory experience amidst the bustle of the city.