Roll Up! All the fun of the Art?

I guess the question was obvious. Is this art? A question that appears as old as recorded civilisation itself. In this case it was being deliberated by reporters and critics at the opening in London's Tate Modern gallery of Carsten Höller's 'Test Site' 2006. The work though, has also been described as the hottest ticket in town. A complex of shiny stainless steel and polycarbomate tubes descending from the various levels of Tate's galleries to the ground level in the somewhat stark turbine hall.
One in a line of sometimes challenging and thought provoking art installations, 'Test Site' takes none of the fun out of art. On the contrary, on the opening night and as the public started to appear, it seemed to put a lot of fun back into art. Indeed, so much 'white knuckle ride fun' was had by all that the question was asked was it really art or just a funfair helter-skelter? 'The Times' correspondent, Sean O'Neill even asked the question was it also an accident waiting to happen? So art can be dangerous then can it Mr O'Neill? I would never have guessed.
I note that most people, young and old, got off at the end of their 'turn' and remarked at the speed or the G-force they had just experienced. I don’t recollect hearing anyone declare it as a beautiful artwork combining function and form in an aesthetically pleasing combination.
So what if they didn't. It's not wrong to have fun from modern art. Conversely, I have always expected that art should make a statement, contain a message. 'Test Site' is no exception. You can of course just stand back and observe its place in the overly large turbine hall and watch its curving forms break up the original rectangular forms of the building. You can also get a ticket, queue up and eventually participate the inside of each of the forms as you hurtle to earth again. For a few seconds it takes you over and surrenders you to its gravitational power.
Either way you will experience the message of the installation. Like the 'Weather Project', Tate Modern 2003 it will encompass you in a way that is comfortable to yourself, whether as a 'doer' or an onlooker. In 2003, you could lay on your back on the cold hard concrete floor and observe yourself in the mirrors of the false ceiling. Alternatively, you could simply watch others doing just that. The choice was yours and in 2006 the choice is the same.
Tate Modern have again challenged the concept of what modern art is about and its place in society. Barriers of class, race, gender, age all fall apart, like they did in 'Weather' and a Post-impressionist Georges Seurat style of social intermingling ensues. I congratulate Tate Modern on this occasion.