Endless Connection Fountain, Aarhus

Starry Sky Turned Into Water

Endless Connection is a contemporary fountain and light artwork by Danish artist Jeppe Hein, set on the harbour square between the historic city core and Aarhus’ redeveloped waterfront. At first glance you see a flat paved surface, but hidden beneath are dozens of nozzles that shoot water straight up from the ground. These coordinated jets create walls of water up to around 2.3 metres high, enclosing and revealing spaces in constantly changing patterns. The work is inspired by the starry sky above Aarhus. The jets switch on and off in sequences that echo constellations and shifting night skies, turning an ordinary square into a three‑dimensional drawing made of water and light. Rather than a traditional basin, the fountain is completely flush with the ground, so it feels like the artwork rises directly out of the city’s skin.

Playing Inside A Living Labyrinth

One of the defining features of Endless Connection is that you are invited to step right into it. When the walls drop, you can walk into the grid; seconds later the water may rise again around you, turning the fountain into a living labyrinth. You can test your timing, dash across, or simply stand still and feel the enclosure form and dissolve. Children in particular treat the fountain as an urban playground on warm days, weaving through the corridors of water and daring each other not to get soaked. Adults tend to linger at the edges at first, then gradually join in, discovering that the simplest movements become part of the choreography of the piece.

Harbourfront Setting Between City And Sea

The fountain sits at Havnepladsen, also known as Herman Sallings Plads, a broad open square close to Aarhus Cathedral and the waterfront cultural hub around Dokk1 and Navitas. The square forms a threshold between the compact medieval streets and the wide harbour views, and the fountain anchors this transition with sound, movement, and reflections. Surrounding buildings and passing ships are mirrored and fragmented in the water walls. On calm days you can watch the harbour framed like a series of shifting picture windows. The location also means you can easily combine a pause at the fountain with nearby museums, cafés, and the promenade along the quay without changing your pace or schedule.

Light, Seasons And Subtle Technology

Endless Connection is most active in the milder months, when the water runs daily on a long schedule and the fountain becomes a focal point of the square. After dark, integrated lighting picks out the jets, so each rising wall glows softly against the night, and the star‑sky inspiration becomes especially clear. In cooler or winter periods the installation may be turned off to protect the system, leaving the square as an open paved space. Although the technology behind the fountain is complex, it is intentionally hidden. Control systems manage pressure, timing, and patterns beneath the surface, allowing the visible experience to feel effortless and almost magical. For visitors, the focus stays on the sensation of stepping through curtains of water, hearing the steady roar turn suddenly quiet, and watching geometric forms appear and vanish.

An Accessible Artwork For All Ages

Hein’s practice often blurs the line between sculpture, architecture, and social space, and Endless Connection is a clear example. The flat surface around the jets makes the work accessible for wheelchairs and strollers, so everyone can move through or around the installation without barriers. You can choose to stay dry at the edges, sit nearby and listen to the rhythmic splash, or embrace the full experience by walking right into the grid. Because it is free, open‑air, and always present when operating, the fountain slips naturally into daily life in Aarhus. Office workers cut across the square, families pause while exploring the old town and harbourfront, and evening strollers stop to watch the illuminated patterns. The artwork lives up to its name by creating fleeting but memorable connections between people, water, and city.