carsten holler's 'stockholm slides' spiral down the waterfront face of moderna museet

"Stockholm Slides, a new large-scale artwork by Carsten Höller, has taken form on the facade of Moderna Museet in the Swedish capital. The installation consists of two spiraling slides that descend from the museum's rooftop to the street below, turning the building's outer wall into a site of movement and play. The work officially opens to the public on October 4th, 2025, adding an interactive addition to the museum's permanent collection."

"Höller has built his career on creating interactive works that invite direct participation - he erected a Slide Tower at the Vitra Campus as far back as 2014. His background in scientific research, especially the study of insect communication, informs his approach to art as a process of experiment and response. With Stockholm Slides, he extends this interest into architecture, transforming the museum exterior into a channel for both physical descent and psychological intensity."

"Carsten Höller's two Stockholm Slides are identical in length, 39 meters (128 feet) each, but mirrored in their rotation: one coils clockwise, the other counterclockwise. Together they span a vertical drop of fifteen meters (49 feet) from the roof terrace to Slupskjulsvägen, on the museum's waterside. This doubling allows two people to ride in tandem, creating what the artist has called a 'mirrored choreography.'"

Two 39-meter spiraling slides by Carsten Höller are installed on the facade of Moderna Museet, descending from the rooftop to the street and opening on October 4, 2025. The pair of slides are identical in length but mirrored in rotation, producing a clockwise and a counterclockwise coil that together span a fifteen-meter vertical drop to the waterside. The design allows tandem rides described as a 'mirrored choreography.' The work emphasizes participation and play, frames views of the city and harbor during descent, and applies gravity as an architectural force that creates both physical and psychological intensity.

Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine