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Westend

Martin Ebner, Oliver Kaufmann

1992, Vienna, Austria

Institution
ÖBB, Austrian Federal Railways

Location
Westbahnhof / Western Train Station, Vienna

Duration
one week

Synopsis

Eight parallel blue laser beams connect platform level, main hall and Europaplatz. In this way, the rail lines ending in the terminal station are extended beyond the threshold of the building. The linear light installation underlines the strict rationalist structure of the structure’s pillar sequence. The light beams are visible 24 hours a day, continuously for one week. The installation is visible both inside the building and from the outside, forming a highly visible marker of the Westbahnhof.


Technical details

Mounted in the window niches of the rear longitudinal wall, the ten parallel laser beams, following the rhythm of the pillars, form an immaterial plane four meters above the gallery. The axis of the individual light bundles is offset one meter laterally from the respective window axis and enters the open air through the transparent main facade. The blue laser beams (10×200 milliwatts) originate from an optical bench and are positioned via ten deflection mirrors.

The longitudinal extension is 140 meters.


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