Light installation and fountain in the churchyard of St Nicholas's
The Prayers for Peace and Monday Demonstrations have made Leipzig’s St Nicholas' Church a symbol of 1989’s Peaceful Revolution throughout the entire world. In 2003 the churchyard was transformed – with the support of the "Living City" foundation ("Stiftung Lebendige Stadt ") into a place of contemplation. The cultural foundation of Leipzig, together with the city of Leipzig and the “Living City” foundation jointly organised a competition that would make this transformation possible.
The core elements of the new design – complementing St Nicholas' Column erected in 1999 – are the light installation by Leipzig artist Tilo Schulz with its 144 colourful cubes of light laid into the paving, and a concrete fountain designed by David Chipperfield (London).
The ‘Public light’ installation, in which one individual cube of light is randomly lit up every minute, symbolises the slow build-up of peaceful gatherings and recalls the importance of public spaces as a forum for the democratic exchange of opinions among free citizens. The granite fountain with its simple and elegant design is intended to make the churchyard in front of St Nicholas' Church a peaceful place where people can meet to communicate and contemplate throughout the year. The overflowing water symbolises the surge towards freedom and democracy of the masses who demonstrated peacefully in the autumn of 1989.