Though it may certainly look like it belongs in an amusement park, the new winding structure in Pohang’s Hwanho Park is not actually a rollercoaster. Designed by Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth, SpaceWalk is a massive sculptural staircase full of dramatic twists and turns. The project is South Korea’s largest-ever contemporary public sculpture.
Visitors to SpaceWalk can walk through almost all of the structure except for the large loop at the center. They begin their journey at a central staircase that connects them to two paths. Tourists can choose to follow the gently sloped path to a beautiful view of Yeongil Bay or to follow a steeper path through a helix. Aside from providing alternative perspectives to the cities, the two paths also present varying difficulty levels for tourists of different ages and abilities.
Spacewalk was made possible by POSCO, a South Korean steel-manufacturing company located in Pohang. By creating this sculpture in their city, the company hopes to promote tourism and to showcase their products. Structural members were made from galvanized and stainless steel manipulated into the familiar gestures of a rollercoaster. The artists highlight the sculpture with LED lights.
“At night in particular, the brightly-illuminated walkway appears like a sigil drawn in the sky, appearing to represent different things depending on where one is standing,” say Mutter and Genth. “Thus, the sculpture also references local mythology and a tradition of sky-gazing and also makes playful use of relativity.”
If you want to climb SpaceWalk yourself, you can visit the sculpture during open hours on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and on weekends between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
SpaceWalk is a sculptural staircase in Hwanho Park that looks like a rollercoaster.
