Towering 15 metres above the ground and stretching 39 metres long, artist Carsten Höller's newest exploration into participatory artwork at Moderna Museet, entitled 'Stockholm Slides', brings a sense of nostalgia and euphoria back to adulthood
Think back to those carefree days of childhood, when a trip to the park was the highlight of the week and life revolved around the simple joys of swinging high, climbing like a monkey, and conquering the slide – that magical rush of gliding down smooth metal at impossible speed. It was electrifying: fast, a little unnerving, and utterly euphoric. For many, the slide offered a first taste of adrenaline, an early adventure in gravity’s pull. You’d shoot off the end, heart racing, then scramble back up to do it all over again. But as we grow older, where do those innocent pleasures go? When was the last time you felt that kind of joy?
Photo: @modernamuseet
Photo: @modernamuseet
It’s this very sensation that artist Carsten Höller continues to chase. Having previously installed slides at London’s Tate Modern and outside Prada’s Milan headquarters – the latter commissioned by Miuccia herself– the German-born multihyphenate (who, for all intents and purposes, is an honorary Swede after living in the country for 25 years) now brings the same spirit of dizzying delight to Stockholm’s Moderna Museet. With his latest installation, 'Stockholm Slides', Höller invites us to reclaim the pure pleasure of the slide, no matter our age. Towering 15 metres above the ground and stretching 39 metres long, these intertwining slides are mounted on the museum’s sea-facing façade. The work is not merely a nod to nostalgia, but an open invitation – a participatory piece that transforms the typical museum visit into something visceral and childlike. For a moment, we’re urged to surrender to gravity, to play, and to rediscover that rush we thought we had outgrown.
As two people slide together in unison, they become synchronised in what Höller calls "mirrored choreography", yielding to gravity simultaneously. In that moment, a powerful blend of exhilaration, disorientation, doubt, fear, and joy intertwine in a controlled yet "voluptuous panic," according to the artist - a visceral experience that captivates both participants and onlookers. The intensity of this shared journey extends beyond the individuals involved, creating a magnetic energy. Passers-by and museum visitors alike are drawn to the spectacle, their senses heightened as they watch people zoom past the windows, their speed and motion evoking a sense of fleeting euphoria and thrilling uncertainty.
Photo: @modernamuseet
Höller's slides, which will remain a part of the museum for five years, are the latest chapter in his ongoing exploration of art that encourages direct interaction, offering an opportunity for visitors to indulge in the same visceral thrill that so many of us associate with childhood. It's a rare opportunity to feel that sense of speed and freedom once more, and to experience firsthand the joy of sliding, if only for a moment, into a world where fun has no age limit.