gerry hofstetter craft stories with light

Heritage buildings and natural landscapes tell stories of heroism, delight and heroism, says Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter, who turns iconic spaces into works of art with mesmerizing use of light.

This week. ‘Swiss it!’ He is in Delhi at the invitation of the Swiss Embassy to create light art on the front of the embassy building and the garden, as part of the grand finale of the event. initiative. The three-year initiative organized 35 events across 30 Indian cities to share experiences about innovations from Switzerland for a sustainable future.

Hofstetter, who has had an illustrious career in the Swiss armed forces and banking, creates all the images for the projections and equipment himself using high-tech cameras, state-of-the-art drones and a 6,000-watt specially designed projector. It helps that he is also a helicopter pilot, filmmaker, writer, photographer and national pentathlon athlete, as the job requires many skills and a high level of fitness.

After two decades of making world premieres at iconic venues, the 60-year-old says he is finally “India ready”. Since 2003, when he has projected the Taj Mahal on a giant iceberg at the South Pole, he says he has wanted to visit a land of vibrant colors and spiritual light.

Kingfisher was launched over the Arctic iceberg by Gerry Hofstetter. photo credit: special arrangement

Describing Hofstetter’s art as a unique combination of technical expertise and universal symbolism, the Ambassador of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, Ralf Heckner, says that the event is “75 years of India’s independence and the diplomatic ties between India and Switzerland by showcasing the art culture”. will celebrate. of both countries.”

For the past week, Hofstetter has been preparing for its first bright light feast in India. He traveled to Rajasthan and Delhi to absorb the vibe. “It’s been exhilarating.” He leads his team of nine members step by step through the project as he wants to ensure that his shows leave the right memories in the minds of his viewers.

Although, he says it is art that has always attracted him, he says, “My interest in different jobs helped me combine my diverse experiences.” For someone who began selling his oil paintings of horses for US$5,000 as a teenager, he now uses his talents effectively to paint monuments and slides he projects on mountains.

Venice Carnival in Italy by Gerry Hofstetter | photo credit: special arrangement

This change occurred when he lit up the Swiss National Museum in 2000 during an exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci. Since then, he has been globetrotting with his light shows. “I use my art to convey socially relevant messages,” he said, citing the Matterhorn’s experience when he called for lighting pyramid summits and drawing attention to the issue of melting glaciers in the Alps. Used several heavy lift helicopters with hanging generators.

He has also illuminated icebergs from a Russian expedition boat and projected on Mount Kilimanjaro to highlight global warming. For the United Nations Climate Change Project, he produced an image of a polar bear that lives in the Arctic in the north to the Antarctic at the South Pole, where penguins live. The dramatic photographs were his way of expressing his concern to the audience about the dwindling snow. “If the polar bear meets the penguin, it will be a tragedy for the world,” says Hofstetter, who has traveled to 87 countries and is overwhelmed by the effects of pollution and waste on the environment.

Titanic Original Shape On Greenland Iceberg By: Gerry Hofstetter | photo credit: special arrangement

Having survived avalanches and sand storms, he says every experience with nature, weather, animals and people is different. In 2012, launching Titanic in its original shape over a 500-metre-long iceberg off Greenland – to mark 100 ^th The anniversary of his first voyage – his boat crashed due to thick fog and he was trapped for hours before making a narrow escape.

He also tells how he was caught in a sandstorm in Egypt where he went to illuminate the White Desert, the Pyramids of Gizah, the Sphinx, and the Egyptian National Museum. “Me and my team risk our lives to create impactful messages against the beauty and serenity of our chosen background; All sober reminders about how small humans are in the ultimate scheme of things,” he says and says, “our works reflect depth, taste, subjectivity and involvement.”

It is the cocktail of adventures and challenges, arduous treks and journeys that drives Hofstetter to re-invent monuments and landscapes with his powerful imagination. “My idea is to inspire people and create a sense of belonging to things,” says Hofstetter, as he plans to begin work on his next shows in national parks in the US, the Save the Tigers project in 13 countries and Project on a Conservation Himalaya

World’s Largest Light Artifact – 5,200 m tall tiger on Eiger projected by Gerry Hofstetter. photo credit: special arrangement

Giant projection by Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter, titled “Together Forever” showing the late Queen Elizabeth II of Britain and the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on clouds in the sky over the Swiss Berner Alps. photo credit: Michael Kessler

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