From shadow to light

Anke Neumann

A dingy corner is being spruced up: the tunnel at the main railway station, popularly known as the "Bazillenröhre", is nearing completion. Since the spring, the passageway under the main railway station, which connects Mauerstraße with Dresdner Straße, has been renovated. However, the pedestrian tunnel will only be complete with the lighting concept and the wall design based on Anke Neumann's idea. In the Maker of the Week interview, she explains what light means to her and how she came up with the idea of hanging a Kraftklub song on the wall.

What is the intention behind your concept for the tunnel?

Anke Neumann: I wanted to provide the tunnel with light in such a way that it was not only functional, but also beautiful. The aim was to visually reduce the length of the tunnel and make the space less intimidating. It was always such a pussypupu light, which meant it was always dirty. And that naturally invited disfigurement. But it should be pleasant to walk through there.

How do you realise this exactly?

Through indirect light. The tunnel is quite flat and I wanted the ceiling to feel higher. I would have preferred to place the light on the side at the transition to the brickwork, but that wasn't technically feasible. Now the strip light is at the top of the ceiling. When the letters are in place, I set it up with the lighting technicians so that the light moves. It changes from cool white to warm white and back again. It's supposed to be reminiscent of the sky when the clouds roll in, or of a forest where the trees cast shadows. It should be a small experience to walk through there.

How did you come up with this project?

I had just returned to Chemnitz and was invited to an artist talk by people from Sonnenberg. In this context, I learnt about the residents' commitment to a fear-free connection to the city. By chance, there was an inspection the next day and I just went along. When they were looking for the artistic design, I also gave it some thought. It sort of came to me. I'm really grateful to the people involved in Sonnenberg that they worked so hard to ensure that the tunnel was redesigned and is not closed today.

In 2014, the urban planning office drew up an integrated action plan to support the development of disadvantaged neighbourhoods with EU funding between 2015 and 2022. Ideas for the pedestrian tunnel were developed with residents of Sonnenberg and a competition for artists was launched. This was won by Anke Neumann in 2015. After being accepted into the funding programme, planning began in 2016 and the funding application was approved in 2018. 80 per cent of the costs are covered by European funding. The actual refurbishment could only begin once the new passenger tunnel from the main railway station - in the immediate vicinity of the Bazillen tube - had been completed. The entrance structures and the tunnel tube have been renovated in two construction phases since June 2020. The tunnel was finally opened in November 2021 and is currently being completed with the installation of the letters.

What role do the letters play in your concept?

The verticality of the letters visually shortens the tunnel. The letters are bright white so that they catch the residual light from above. Each letter is about 1.40 metres tall. They hang quite far apart because we have to create a length of more than 200 metres. On one side is 'I'd like to be less like me', on the other 'a bit more like you'.

Why this saying in particular, which comes from the Kraftklub song "Wie ich"?

I had the idea when I was at a Kosmonaut festival and saw a Kraftklub concert. I had already thought about the tunnel and the letters were already clear. I just didn't know what. There are millions of possibilities. And then I thought: Nah, that's cool. A quote from a young Chemnitz band that has also become known beyond the borders of Chemnitz. And I think the guys are good. It's a way of honouring them a little without wanting to erect a monument to them. And I was particularly taken with this part of the text.

Why?

The lyrics are even more relevant today, much more appropriate than they were six years ago. Maybe it was for a reason that it took so long. Nowadays, people are all so focussed on themselves. And nobody puts themselves in the other person's shoes and asks themselves: why do they have a different opinion? I think it's important not to label differences, but to let them into your life a little. Sometimes you get stuck in your own way of thinking. Wars start because some people don't understand others.

What does the band say about you using the song line?

Of course I asked the musicians at the time if I could use it. They thought it was a good idea.

Did you know that singer Felix Kummer sings the following line in his recently released "Der letzte Song (Alles wird gut)": 'Doch meine Texte taugten nie für Parolen an den Wänden'?

Really? That's funny. If I ever meet him, I'll say: That's not true at all. Although: Everything will be fine - I would have liked that too. But the letters are already finished.

Are you an artist or a craftswoman?

I studied design, I'm a surface and textile designer. But I already specialised in paper and light during my studies. What I like best is being a designer. Because I design spaces, I design objects. Artist always sounds so far-fetched. But I'm also a craftswoman, because I make paper with my hands. I try to use light to emphasise paper as a material or to make it presentable. It's like a symbiosis. The paper is emphasised by the light, and the light in turn is emphasised by the paper. It's almost poetic.

Anke Neumann was born in Chemnitz and was already in the Schneeberg drawing class as a teenager, where she was taught by Steffen Volmer, among others. She began her studies in Berlin-Weißensee in 1998. Among other things, she lived in Jena for ten years. She has been self-employed since 2004 and her studio is located at the foot of the Sonnenberg.

And these are usually commissioned works or do you organise exhibitions?

I get in touch with people who have a room in which they want something special, something that creates beautiful light. My works are somewhere between sculpture and light objects. They are objects that shine. I often advise people: What suits the room, what suits the people. I also travel to trade fairs. I've also exhibited myself, for example at Lichtenwalde Castle.

But working in the tunnel is a completely new direction, isn't it?

It was definitely a challenge for me. It's still a space. But a public space. I wanted to try that too. Because I work with paper, the interior space is always interesting for me. This is the first time I've gone outside.

What's different about it?

Well, I work like a planner. I have to imagine something and then see how we can realise it. A lot of people were involved. The civil engineering department made everything downstairs smart, sandblasted the walls. The concept, the lighting and the letters for the tunnel are my idea. The lighting components are supplied by lighting engineers - incidentally, this is the same company that provided the lighting technology for the colourful Esse. And for the letters, which incidentally have graffiti protection, I really wanted master locksmith Thomas Altenkirch. He is a designer in the trade and also built the 'Zuhause' on the Brühl, for example.

Are you worried about your artwork because it is in a public space?

No. It would be nice if it wasn't sprayed like crazy again. But it is a public space. I'm very curious to see how it develops. Of course there will be something there again, but I don't think it will be to the same extent as before. Because wherever it's dark and dirty, the threshold for defacing it is much lower. It would be nice if the hand-carved porphyry stone was appreciated. After all, the tunnel is a listed building.

Can you remember the first time you walked through the tunnel?

Oh, I was young then, maybe 14 or 16. But I have no real memory of it. It was just a must, you just had to go through it if you went that way. I only know stories of my mates driving through in the Trabi.

What does light mean to you?

Light is everything, it's essential for life. No plant grows without light. Even as a child, I was interested in how people surround themselves with light within their own four walls. Light revitalises a room. And good light can arouse emotions. There are lots of light spots in my living room. I like being able to create different lighting moods. And it's nice to know: There's a light next door.

Where do you see the city in the Capital of Culture year?

I see a lot coming up, especially in connection with the tunnel. The Sonnenberg in particular will really blossom and a respectable connection to the city centre is very important. I'm looking forward to the Capital of Culture year, but I very much hope that Chemnitz will retain its own charm.