14 November 2007

Carsten Höller Slides

This time last year I was living outside of London. I had the opportunity to visit the Tate Modern twice, but never once ventured down the Carsten Höller slides. The lines were long and it seemed like a hassle because you couldn't take your belongings down with you. Besides, I'm not a fan of rides (or slides) because they generally underwhelm me.

Well, now I wish I'd just sucked it up and waited in line and gone on the damn slide. Apparently, Carsten Höller slides are really hip, and I could have been so much hipper for sliding down one.

Miuccia Prada has one installed in her headquarters that shoots her from her office to her parking spot. I kid you not.

In Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster, the author, Dana Thomas, says
I was taken to a room I had read about often. It is officially Miuccia Prada’s office, and it is as stark and contrived as her designs: poured concrete, a slew of orange and yellow molded plastic Eames chairs; and, sticking up in the center of the floor, a metal tube slide - by artist Carsten Holler - that runs three floors down to the parking lot and is titled The Slide No. 5. Prada has whizzed down it when asked to by reporters.
Okay, I appreciate a slide for utilitarian purposes. And I suppose it would be fun, while your guests are gawking at your slide, to say, "What, oh that old thing? Why that's just my Höller."

Source

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

my church here in columbia just finished their new building and installed a slide to go down to the nursery downstairs for the kids to go down.

Diana @ So Fash'on said...

I didn't know that. Love Mrs. Prada. love her!

Ceci n'est pas une blogger. said...

i know exactly what you mean -- i missed the slide on my visit to the tate as well, but the reason was the looong line (over a 2 hour wait for a 30 second ride!)