A new landmark on the GSI/FAIR campus — Artwork „Entschleunigtes Teilchen“ by Atelier Thomas Stricker installed
02.11.2026 |
The GSI/FAIR campus has gained a new landmark: an eight-meter-tall copper column with an organically shaped, polished-metal body in its upper third—this is the artwork “Entschleunigtes Teilchen — the FCC meteor” by Atelier Thomas Stricker. The piece emerged as the winner of the art-in-architecture competition for the FAIR Control Center (FCC) and was recently installed in front of the building.
To mark the construction of the new FCC building and on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the State of Hesse, GSI launched a single-phase, invited, and anonymous art-in-architecture competition. The aim was to sharpen the profile of GSI/FAIR through original artistic designs and to make it visible to the outside world. The artwork was supposed to create an identity for the campus and to have a strong signal effect. An expert jury selected Stricker’s proposal in 2023 among six total submission.
Stricker’s design impresses with its use of copper and its symbolic representation of the connecting axis between research on Earth and the cosmos. At the same time, the non-figurative representation remains enigmatic and sparks discussions. Located in a central spot in front of the entrance to the FCC visitor gallery, the artwork serves as a striking and widely visible landmark. The FCC will house the future joint control room for the GSI and FAIR accelerator facilities, as well as offices and meeting rooms. Construction is nearing completion; office occupants are expected to move in by the end of the year. (CP)
