Transart, the festival of contemporary culture celebrates the 150th anniversary of the first ascent of the Sassolungo with an interdisciplinary artistic project by the artist Hubert Kostner in collaboration with the composer Eduard Demetz and the dancer and choreographer, Anastasia Kostner.
The first conquest of the Sassolungo took place on August 13th 1869, and it was an absolutely sensational event. The Austrian mountaineer Paul Grohmann accompanied by two Val Gardena guides managed to reach the peak which up until that point was considered unconquerable due to the length of the incline and hazard of falling rocks. The 150th anniversary of this milestone in mountaineering will be celebrated at the end of July with a performance that mixes contemporary art, music and dance, an event organized by Transart, the festival that in September will put the spotlight on contemporaneity.
A stone of modest proportions which stands alone above the hiking trail is transformed by the artist Hubert Kostner, wrapping it entirely with about 8000 meters of climbing rope, covering the bare and hard surface of a second skin which is even softer, the Sasmujel. So this solitary rocky spur be transformed into a work of art, and become the only point of colour visible in the Sassolungo glacial circle throughout the winter, that will then return to its original appearance.
At the foot of this unique installation, on July 27 at 1.00 pm, the composer Eduard Demetz will place twenty wind instrumentalists who will acoustically explore the unfathomable width of the alpine landscape, while the choreographer Anastasia Kostner will add the energy of movement with the help of local climbers and performers.
The transformations and reversals of the traditional meaning of materials and objects play a fundamental role in the creative processes of the Val Gardena artist Hubert Kostner, who graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and who resides in Castelrotto.
Eduard Demetz and Anastasia Kostner are also from Val Gardena but are active internationally, the former as a composer and conductor and the latter, residing in Amsterdam, as a dancer and performer.
In the middle of the evocative rocky amphitheatre between the Vallone and the Vicenza Refuge, at an altitude of 2500 meters above sea level, musicians, mountaineers, performers and dancers will meet for a unique event, orchestrated by Transart as a prelude to the festival. An event that will take place with the utmost respect for the territory and the fragile alpine ecosystem, abandoning any form of stage scenery, seating, current or amplification.
It is advisable to wear appropriate clothing and footwear. In case of bad weather, the event will be moved to 28.07 or 03.08.
EDUARD DEMETZ – music
HUBERT KOSTNER – installation
ANASTASIA KOSTNER – dance and choreography.
ENSEMBLE WINDKRAFT
KASPER DE ROO – direction.
To reach the site it is possible to take the historic chairlift from the Passo Sella parking lot to the Vallone del Sassolungo, where a 30-45 minute ascent begins on a gravel and rubble path. Or by foot walking up from the Sella car park along path 525 bis to the Vallone – which takes about an hour. Another option is to take the bus from the Alpe di Siusi (gondola station), and reach Saltria where you can reach the Williams hut with the Florian chairlift. From here walk along the path 527 towards Murmeltierhütte (Baita delle Marmotte) to the Vicenza hut, from where you can go up to the Vallone with an easy walk for about two hours.
INFO: SASMUJEL
Val Gardena
