Spiegelarche by Der Grüne Salon e.V.

The Spiegelarche is a place of encounter in Roldisleben (Thuringia): two mirrored containers stacked on top of each other. Renowned artists created the space to offer visitors a new viewpoint on the surroundings and themselves. The Spiegelarche stands for openness, tolerance and curiosity.

“A great project of high artistic quality, a monument of freedom with a philosophical, experimental and existential claim. The Spiegelarche looks different every day, a great sign of our changability and an invitation to experience ourselves in the context of nature”, says the jury.

March 30, 2023

3 new questions to… Johannes Backhaus-Barnett, Chairman “Der Grüne Salon e.V.”

Your project is awarded in 2020 as part of The Power of the Arts - where do you stand with it today?

Thanks to The Power of the Arts, we were able to carry out Fabian Knecht’s art project ISOLATION at the Spiegelarche in 2021 in very high quality, creating extraordinary images. The installations created personal engagement with trees for visitors with unprecedented intensity. The power of wonder magically opened the mind, enabling a factual discourse on biodiversity, climate change and sustainability.

What does the award mean to you from today's perspective?

At the time, The Power Of The Arts was the only funding body that recognised the potential of our project. That was visionary, because by now we are known throughout Germany and can inspire many funders with our project plans. Of course, this builds on the success and great images of the first project, so the award got the ball rolling.

What's next, what are your next plans?

This year at Spiegelarche we have two major projects that explore art and science synergistically and in which visitors reflect on themselves as part of the community. The INTERVENTION exhibition and an education project for Science Year 2023 follow the Ubuntu philosophy (“I am because we are.”) and aim to empower sharing and participation.