by Brigitte Hitschler
Four hundred light emitting diodes are glowing red in a marked out field on a potash slagheap in Hannover-Empelde, Germany. Tiny mysterious dots on sixteen poetic square meters. Glimmering lights invoke the slumbering, hidden forces of the hill. The energy, still inside and documented by permanent chemical processes in the material, flown into it as work energy, will be reactivated as "recovery energy" after completed recultivation. They symbolize the past and future energy potential of the place. Each light emitting diode is placed at the top of two 40 cm long and 2 mm thin brass tubes, which are connected with pieces of magnesium and plates of copper and zinc. The energy for the shining of the diodes is provided by two galvanic cells connected in series which absorb the power generated by the chemical reactions of the salt of the potash mining debris, the metal, and the humidity directly from the hill. Thus, a 4x4 m large surface strewn with tiny light spots is created without supplementary power. The slagheap of the potash mine in Hannover, which was closed in 1972, is being recultivated. A coating of the entire mountain with rubble and soil is to stop the washing out of the potash and therefore the release of salt into the surrounding rivers. After afforestation a forest biotope will be put up on a long-term basis. In 1999, an exhibition project offered artists the opportunity to create works of art between the slagheap and recultivated green area. In context of this project the presented work was created.
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