BRIDGES SPREEPARK, BERLIN, 2027

For Spreepark, Iván Argote has designed an ensemble of five concrete bridges to be arranged around the formerly derelict canal ride near the Ferris wheel. While all five structures are based on a common form, each asserts a distinct spatial and conceptual character.

Bridges Spreepark interprets the “bridge” both literally and metaphorically: As architectural structures, the bridges span terrain and propose passages; as sculptural forms, they evoke approach, connection, communication and contemplation, while simultaneously reflecting on social and political conditions. They connect, change directions, or alter one’s perspective: while A Point of View becomes a viewing platform, U-Turn leads visitors back to the start. Dive Up metaphorically dives into the no-longer-existing water and re-emerges; The Fountain references the fountain as a symbol of power by questioning the distribution of access to the resource of water; and in The Kiss, the two bridge segments are separated by a gap only six centimetres wide.

Through this work, Argote invites visitors to infuse their immediate physical experience with emotion. Bridges can unite or divide, demarcate boundaries, lead into emptiness, or span abysses. These layers of meaning are activated only by the visitors, whose physical experience links concrete use of the space with a metaphorical dimension.

Bridges Spreepark is one of five site-specific artworks developed for Spreepark following a curated workshop procedure initiated in 2020 and curated by Katja Aßmann, Ellen Blumenstein, and Nina Sperling. The works in the park are realized by internationally renowned artists, each responding to the site’s layered histories and present conditions.

Bridges Spreepark will officially open in 2027.