covering summit crosses
In cooperation with Ruth/Gert Gschwendtner
Hohe Kugel, Ebner Joch, Les Alpilles, Hafelekar, 1992/93
By placing a cover over the cross, it loses its symbolic meaning of christian triumph and takes on factors which one would associate with a torch: it can be seen for miles around and at the same time becomes a source of irritation and deception.
The erection of an "observation figure" in front of the covered cross, demonstrates the metamorphosis of the stolid plateau on the mountain summit into art territory. The fettish for "defloration" evident in the notion of the first ascent and the similarities between it and colonial victory - the flag is pulled out the rucksack, the pole rammed into the rocky ground and the camera taken out; the hour of glory for alpinism! - are reflected in the artistic transformation sequence of the mountain summit - lengths of material are pulled out the rucksack, the wooden pole put into the ground and the camera unpacked.
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