Test Site

Carsten Höller’s “Test Site” (2006–07), part of Tate Modern’s Unilever Series, transformed the Turbine Hall into a playground of art, architecture, and sensation. The installation consisted of five enormous spiraling slides - two starting on the second floor and others from floors three to five - constructed from gleaming metal tubes that cut through the hall’s rigid industrial architecture with playful, organic curves. Far from being static sculptures, the slides were meant to be used: visitors could freely ride the lower ones, while timed tickets gave access to the higher descents. For Höller, the act of sliding was an experiment as much as an experience, producing what he described as a state of “voluptuous panic,” a mix of delight, loss of control, and heightened awareness that lingers beyond the moment itself.

By inviting people to participate physically, the work shifted the role of museum-goers from passive viewers to active performers, while those watching became part of the spectacle too. At the same time, the title Test Site pointed to the project’s exploratory nature - imagining what our cities might feel like if such forms of playful movement were part of everyday life. In this way, Höller’s installation operated on multiple levels: as a striking sculptural intervention, a psychological experiment, and a rethinking of how art, architecture, and public space can interact.