aber’s public art piece doesn’t yet look like much, but if you could stick around until 3183, you will see the time pyramid in all of its glory. The structure’s construction started in 1993 — with a new concrete block laid on it every ten years until its completion.
Laber’s Idea Piece and It’s Home
To mark the 1,200th anniversary of Wemding, Germany, local artist Manfred Laber ideated the birth of the time pyramid. Every decade, a new monument will be added to the structure until the 120 blocks are complete. The art project will take 1,200 years to finish, assuming future generations comply with the artist’s plans.
Laber believes the deliberately drawn-out project is an artistic way of reminding this generation and those to come of the importance of time. The apparent lesson teaches how significant a long span of time is. Also, we can glean how interconnected we all are from the extended project.
Wemding is a charming town in Bavaria’s Donau-Ries district. The town was established in 793 and has many historic sites and a luscious rose gardens. Now, it is home to the Zeitpyramide. On top of the Robertshöhe hill, north of Wemding, a concrete base will house the future 120 blocks that will make up the Zeitpyramide.
Millennium-Long Materials
The pyramid is a local project that is currently overseen by a foundation based in Wemding. Most of the funds for the project have come from local businesses. Probably due to a lack of external funding, the builders of Zeitpyramide commenced the structure with cost-effective materials. Concrete is the key material that the town has used in constructing the time pyramid.
The proposed size of each concrete block for the time pyramid is about 4 feet in width, 4 feet in length, and 6 feet in height. Possibly, new blocks will weigh differently — ranging from a few tons to several tons — but the standard measurements should stay the same over the next 1200 years.
However, there is no guarantee that future generations will keep using concrete. There might be undiscovered materials that are suitable for the sustenance of time-defying pyramids. Builders in the next century might switch to stone or other materials the 21st century is not privy to yet.
Even so, the existing concrete blocks might pose a problem. Concrete is porous, so the structure is subject to issues like water seepage, corroding steel, minor cracks, and concrete expansion. Possibly, the concrete blocks could be damaged over time and might even break. Concrete sealants might be a solution for these problems, including seasonal weather changes in the Bavaria region. However, no one knows if the sealants will hold for a thousand years.
Interestingly, future builders may see these dilemmas from a different angle. If the foundational concrete blocks start crumbling, future generations might interpret it as a confirmation of the overall theme of the Zeitpyramide. After all, the pyramid aims to teach the importance of time. Hence, what better way to do so than finding the beauty in literal ruins? Whether it will be possible to build on top of these ruins is another challenge for the future to face.
The Complete Look
Admittedly, it would be interesting to witness the eventual end of this project. However, no one from this generation will be alive to see this. Still, we can already tell what the Zeitpyramide will look like upon completion.
The floor plan of the time pyramid would contain 64 blocks in an 8 by 8 rectangle, 45 feet apart. The second tier will have 36 blocks in a 6 by 6 format. The first and second tiers will be completed in 2623 and 2983, respectively, marking the end of a millennium.
The remaining 20 blocks will be arranged in two tiers. The third tier will have 16 blocks arranged in a 4 by 4 format. The fourth and final tier will have four blocks. Builders will lay the last block in 3183.
Blocks From the Past
Ultimately, the possibility of completing Zeitpyramide is subject to the dedication of future generations. Whether or not year 3183 will see a completed time pyramid in Wemding, Germany is only if the people of the future attribute as much importance as Laber does to the art project!
