Lynkeus' Tower

Standing in the middle of Linz’s baroque main square, the temporary “Lynkeus’ Tower” raises the question of the power of seeing and its critical self-reflection. It is a lookout tower without a view, a mighty tower that radiates no power - instead of the wide view with which the world could be overlooked or even surveilled from above, there is only a view of one's own self. This is intended to encourage us to explore different ways of seeing: How do we see? Who sees for us, who tells us what we see? What do we want to see? 

The tower is an 18 m high, temporary installation whose basic structure consists of a filigree steel scaffolding. Two black bodies made of wood and textile were inserted into it. These form a long tunnel as an entrance, which cuts through the base of the tower, as well as a covered room sitting on the top of the tower.

The ascent of the tower follows a distinct dramaturgy: entry is via the darkened tunnel, which blends out the hustle and bustle of the square and focuses solely on the upcoming ascent. Only after a number of steps the view becomes clear again, now from an elevated perspective. You follow the stairs floor by floor - always expecting an even better view. But the platform at the top, which would finally be high enough to look out over the rooftops, is covered. 

Following the path through the darkened intermediate space, you reach the center: the actual view from “Lynkeus’ Tower”! It is a fully mirrored cube that is open to the sky. The endless reflections create an abstract world in which there is simply nothing to observe. In which you are completely alone with the sky but still see many people: the infinite number of reflections of yourself. The experience is intensified by the sound of the wind and the slight shaking of the steel structure, creating an atmosphere that is completely different from the usual reality of the main square.

The tower was built as part of the Ars Electronica Festival 2024 for the “Lynkeus’ Traum” exhibition by the University of Art and Design Linz, curated by Prof. Manuela Naveau and was accessible to the public at no cost for one week. Under the overall theme of “Hope”, the exhibition was all about seeing.  

Lynceus, a figure from Greek mythology, had a special gift; his attentive eye not only helped him to recognize the beautiful moments in our world, but his actually technical vision allowed him to look deep into the innermost depths of things. Lynceus, the tower, a time of multiple crises and many questions about the power of sight were the starting point of the exhibition. 

Info about the project on the website of the University of Arts Linz

→  Link

Idea and concept: Paul Eis, Max Meindl, Prof. Manuela Naveau,

Curator: Prof. Manuela Naveau 

Architecture: Paul Eis, Max Meindl 

Lead architect & site management Paul Eis 

Engineering and execution the tower: Knierzinger Industriegerüste GmbH 

Production team: Daniel Burgos, Vahid Ghaderi, Samin Goochi, Samuel Haas, Ahmed Jamal, Louisa Seidl, Omid Zolfaghari 

Organizational support: Sylvia Leitner

Graphicdesign: MOOI design