Lea Porsager

Red Rising / Plunging
Four monstrous horseshoe magnets run vertically through the building, parallel to the glass façade. Approximately twenty-five meters high, massive in weight, slightly off-kilter. Iron. Red. Tesla. Huge. Seemingly hard and tongue-tied, these absurdly large magnets carry many aspects. For one, there is the ancient use of horseshoes above the entrance of a house to provide good luck and splendid energy. Not to mention the warding off of corrupted spirits. Then there is the lack of consensus on how and where to hang it. Does the shoe’s splendid energy demand an upward pointing curve in order to contain and accumulate its juices? Or, should the curve point down, allowing the energy to gush over the ones entering the space? And where do you place it? Outside or inside? Red Rising/Plunging’s inherent vice, or rather, vice versa, places the magnets in both positions and vertical directions simultaneously. Suspended from below as well as above. And don’t be fooled by this somewhat heavy, outmoded fixture. Its magnetic vitality is fierce and undeniable.

[NOTE: A hidden circuit provides the structure with minor tesla (magnetism), as full-on magnets of this magnitude would be life-threatening if charged. The magnets protrude from the rooftop of the building like weird antennas. The outer parts are galvanized — dipped in a hot, protective zinc bath — dressing the bare iron to prevent corrosion.]