Werk III

Zollverein’s Mischanlage (mixing facility) is an impressive building composed of a grid of twelve funnels, arranged three by four, each approximately 20 meters high and constructed from massive concrete. As part of the site’s transformation from an active industrial facility into a cultural heritage location, several of these funnels were partially cut open and connected by a walkway, allowing visitors to experience the interior of a structure that is normally inaccessible.

Inside the structure, lasers generate additional pyramids of light, made visible by fog. These rigid, luminous planes emerge through the unpredictable spatial expansion of smoke from the fog machines—geometry set against chaotic behaviour.

While the lasers in the centre of the facility establish new visual relationships, large loudspeakers positioned in a remote, dark corner form a complex sonic sculpture, dampened by the thick concrete walls.

The impact of the sound depends on the listener’s position: moving through the installation reveals not only shifting visual perspectives but also changing auditory experiences. The loudspeakers operate primarily in very low frequency ranges, at the threshold between sound and vibration—a reminiscence of the massive sonic presence that once accompanied the site’s industrial function.