Defying Dragons
2018
The temporary installment of the ‘summit of Mont Blanc’ was arranged through a loan agreement with the Kulturhistorisches Museum Görlitz in Germany. This summit was expropriated during the first ascend of the mountain in 1786. At the time it was still common believe that mountains housed dragons and the first expedition reaching the mountaintop was therefore considered an empirical conquest over superstition. This occasion had a great impact on how Western man would relate to its environment; as something that could be looked down upon. In contrast to the way in which the summit is otherwise displayed it was placed upside-down, hanging from the ceiling instead during the course of the loan.
The 'summit of Mont Blanc' and its first written description by eye witness Adolf Traugott von Gersdorf were on loan from the Kulturhistorisches Museum Görlitz, Germany.
2018
The temporary installment of the ‘summit of Mont Blanc’ was arranged through a loan agreement with the Kulturhistorisches Museum Görlitz in Germany. This summit was expropriated during the first ascend of the mountain in 1786. At the time it was still common believe that mountains housed dragons and the first expedition reaching the mountaintop was therefore considered an empirical conquest over superstition. This occasion had a great impact on how Western man would relate to its environment; as something that could be looked down upon. In contrast to the way in which the summit is otherwise displayed it was placed upside-down, hanging from the ceiling instead during the course of the loan.
The 'summit of Mont Blanc' and its first written description by eye witness Adolf Traugott von Gersdorf were on loan from the Kulturhistorisches Museum Görlitz, Germany.
Insitu.‘summit of Mont Blanc’and a loan agreement of the artefact from the Kulturhistorisches Museum Gorlitz, DE. 3.1x4x2.9 cm, contract on 3 A4 papers.
archival description:
“Schweizer Reise 1786 / Vol. XI. p. 573 No. 300 [references to Gersdorfs travel journal] / Granit von etwas feinem Korn und ein wenig gneisartiger / Struktur, aus durchscheinendem weißlich grauem Quarze, weißlichem / Feldspathe, und gräulich grünlichem, zum Theil mit zart [unleserlich] / matten dunkleren Glimmertheilchen vermengten Flecken, von / zart eingemengten Sammet oder Chloriterde Teilchen, von 2 klei-/nen Felsen, welche ganz nahe NO. vom höchsten Gipfel des Mont-/blanc durch den Schnee durchstachen. / Diesen hatte Herr D. Paccard Tages vorher von seiner ersten / Ersteigung des Montblanc mit zurück gebracht und / mich [unreadable] beschenkt.“
archival description:
“Schweizer Reise 1786 / Vol. XI. p. 573 No. 300 [references to Gersdorfs travel journal] / Granit von etwas feinem Korn und ein wenig gneisartiger / Struktur, aus durchscheinendem weißlich grauem Quarze, weißlichem / Feldspathe, und gräulich grünlichem, zum Theil mit zart [unleserlich] / matten dunkleren Glimmertheilchen vermengten Flecken, von / zart eingemengten Sammet oder Chloriterde Teilchen, von 2 klei-/nen Felsen, welche ganz nahe NO. vom höchsten Gipfel des Mont-/blanc durch den Schnee durchstachen. / Diesen hatte Herr D. Paccard Tages vorher von seiner ersten / Ersteigung des Montblanc mit zurück gebracht und / mich [unreadable] beschenkt.“
