Farbleiter / Color Ladder

Peter Lacroix’s Color Ladder is a vibrant accent on the facade of the Aachen Standesamt. Two tracks that extend along the entire height of the building are divided into rectangular colored sections, so that the complementary colors red and green are side by side. The height of the colored rectangles increases and decreases in opposite directions. The resulting geometric ascent and descent of the colored surfaces is jarring to the viewer because the colors red and green are perceived as equally vibrant, making it impossible to identify distinct positive and negative forms. This work features elements of op art, which was contemporary at the time and experimented with visual perception.
In 1973, Peter Lacroix installed the Color Ladder for the temporary Kunst-am-Bau exhibition and it was dismantled again in 1974. In 2010, numerous Aachen residents decided on the permanent installation of the work.
Additional information:
www.aachen.de/de/archiv/archiv_stadt_buerger/archiv_politik_verwaltung/archiv_2010/farbleiter2.html