In 1913 in Luckenwalde, a small town 63 km from Berlin, there was a fierce discussion in the local community. A power station producing electricity – was it really going to be necessary in the 20th century? In the end, the technology’s advocates won out and the brown-coal power station continued functioning, through two World Wars and under the German Democratic Republic, until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Now, 30 years later, the building will be reopening its doors, this time as a sustainable energy provider and contemporary art space.
“We’ve worked for so many years on this idea,” says Pablo Wendel, who is currently renovating the building with his art and energy non-profit Performance Electrics. “Suddenly, we had the chance to buy this old power station, so of course we want to turn the power on again, but in a way that’s CO2 neutral.”
This time around, there’s no coal in sight. Instead, the space, called E-Werk, uses an energy production method developed by German biomass energy company Spanner Re², which uses woodchips and a pyrolytic process. The wood is produced locally, reducing CO2 emissions further.
For years, Wendel, who originally trained as a stonemason, has been working with the idea of “Kunststrom” (literally “artpower”). E-Werk is the culmination of this ambition: the first artwork in the building will be a performance piece in which he turns the power back on. “He’s getting all the pistons moving again – it will be quite spectacular,” says E-Werk’s curator Helen Turner.
Performance Electrics’ renovation makes use of the machinery from the power station’s previous life, such as the old coal chute, ovens and welding equipment, some of which were rescued from skips. After all, repairing existing machinery consumes far less energy than replacing it. “We talk a lot about high tech in sustainable energy, but I think it's very important to ask the bigger question about how much primary energy you need to get started,” Wendel says.
As the rust is scrubbed off and the production chain grinds back into motion, the plant will produce enough power and heat to run the art space. Performance Electrics will also continue to provide electricity through the grid to a range of private clients, as well as other art institutions such as the Stadtgalerie in Saarbrücken and the Katzow Sculpture Park (both in Germany). Wendel estimates that the new plant will be able to generate enough electricity for around 100 single-person households.
For the opening on September 14, E-Werk will also host pieces commissioned by London-based performance art festival Block Universe in its stunning turbine hall, where two gigantic dynamos once stood. Luckenwalde’s neighbouring Bauhaus-designed swimming pool, normally disused, will also host performances for the event, which is titled “Power Night”.
Turner has also lined up a public programme of works, including an annual flag design programme (inaugurated by British artist Lucy Joyce) and a solo exhibition of gloopy aluminium sculptures by Nicolas Deshayes. Meanwhile, the lower floors are being turned into workshops and studio spaces for artists.
As in its previous, coal-powered life, the renovated plant will produce plenty of extra heat, which Wendel sees as yet another opportunity to reuse energy. “We could brew our own beer, or maybe we could have a hydroponic system for plants,” he says, a look of childlike excitement entering his eyes. At E-Werk, the goal is to generate ideas as much as electricity.
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