New Delhi (India), February 4: Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter lights up the Eiger North Face in Grindelwald and reiterates Swiss commitment to diverse cultures and environment on eve of the winter Olympic games.
February 3rd, 2022 marks the beginning of the Year of the Tiger in Asia. The Tiger incidentally is the pride of many nations and in extreme danger of being extinct. While many might celebrate the Chinese New Year let’s also pay a tribute to the Tiger who is a significant step in maintaining the ecological balance of this planet.
Switzerland congratulates those who would celebrate the New Year and also reminds us to save the tiger, save our environment with the projection of a 5.3 km long and over 2 km tall tiger on the Eiger North Face projected by Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter. This stems from the artist’s and in general the Swiss people’s deep respect for diverse cultures as well as our environment.
Gerry Hofstetter thus created the largest work of art in the world, over 1,060 football fields in size.
The idea came into his mind when he recognized in the shape of the Eiger a lying Tiger and adding the play on words Tiger/Eiger. With it he wants to symbolize the Swiss mountains and the international solidarity of Switzerland. He particularly chose the start of the winter Olympics as his date with the Tiger on the Eiger as he felt, it should also be a motivation for all Swiss athletes, and of course all other participating athletes, to fight like a tiger for victory. The Winter Olympics will start on February 4th attracting global attention, perhaps also the best moment to create environmental awareness globally.
Gerry Hofstetter and his team needed more than a year to get the projection right. Weather, wind, clouds, moon size, moon position, snow, cold and constellation of the stars had to fit perfectly into a 15-minute time frame. The well-known photographer from Gerry’s team, Frank Schwarzbach, was able to capture the tiger photographically at the right moment.
The action was supported locally by Grindelwald Tourism, the municipality of Grindelwald and by art patrons in Switzerland and abroad.
The tiger lives in 13 countries in Asia. He is threatened with extinction and therefore protected.
Gerry Hofstetter is an internationally active light artist and film producer. With his projections he succeeds in conveying nature, messages and themes spectacularly, sensitively, quietly and sometimes with a wink of the eye. With his illuminations he is also committed to the climate and to a prosperous future for humans, animals and nature on our planet.
Known projects of him are illuminations of icebergs in the Arctic, the Antarctic and the Matterhorn in Zermatt in March 2020 during the global lockdown COVID-19 as a solidarity project for the whole world.
Photos Tiger on Eiger allowed in the attachment for editorial purposes only.
Technical Details
Titel picture: Tiger on Eiger
Place: Eiger North Face, Grindelwald, Switzerland
Giant light art Projections of a Tiger onto the mountain Eiger 3’967 msl (13’000 ft)
For the Year of the Tiger, starting 1st February 2022
A gift from Switzerland to the Asian world and to save the Tigers.
Date of Projections: January 2022
Distance of projections 7.7 km (25’300 ft)
Size of the Tiger: 5.3 km (17’400 ft) large and 2.2 km (7’200 ft) high, World’s biggest art work ever.
Realised by: Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter
Supported by: Grindelwald Tourism, local community of Grindelwald and art enthusiastics mazens from Switzerland and outside of Switzerland.
Photo by: Swiss photographer Frank Schwarzbach
Copyright: Gerry Hofstetter, www.hofstetter-marketing.com