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In January, the Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter and his team projected a tiger onto the north face of the Eiger. The aim was to congratulate Asia on the New Year, the year of the tiger, which began on February 1, 2022. At the same time, Gerry Hofstetter wanted to use the strong symbolism of the tiger to motivate all athletes at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing. The projection Tiger on Eiger is 5.3 km long and over 2 km high.
Persevering, brave and passionate – these traits are associated with people born in the respective years of the tiger.
Previous Tiger Years include 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, and 2010.
This Chinese New Year, which just began on February 1st, 2022, is once more a year of the tiger.
The tiger has always been considered a symbol of power and strength in the Chinese tradition. And even if the big cat is now unfortunately threatened with extinction, it still makes an impression.
So, it is supposed to be a very special year – not only because of the Olympic Games which will take place in Beijing.
Switzerland now added a special memento to the New Year’s celebrations. A memento which was projected onto the north face of the Eiger with a size of approximately 1100 soccer playing fields.
The creators: Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter, Grindelwald Tourism, the municipality of Grindelwald, and art-loving patrons from Switzerland and abroad, wrote in their press release: “Switzerland congratulates on the Year of the Tiger with the world’s largest work of art.”
“I had the idea for Tiger on Eiger when I realized that the shape of the Eiger resembles a crouching tiger. And the word play Eiger/Tiger had its charms, too,” said Gerry Hofstetter.
Hofstetter already conjured up several works of art on the backdrop of the famous mountain formation in the Swiss Alps.
Now, with the 5.3 kilometers long and over 2 kilometers high tiger on the north face of the Eiger, the Swiss light artist has created the largest work of art in the world.
His intention was to use this piece of art to highlight the beauty of the Swiss mountains as well as have it be a symbol of Switzerland’s international ties.
“Tiger on Eiger should also be a motivation for all Swiss athletes to fight like tigers for victory at the Olympic Winter Games this year,” reads the media release. And this strong motivational symbolism is, of course, also extended to athletes from other countries.
After years of intense preparation, the winter Olympics will start in Beijing, China on February 4th, 2022.
Gerry Hofstetter and his team did to do a lot of preparatory work for Tiger on Eiger, too.
It took them over a year to fine-tune the projection over the gigantic distance of 7.7 kilometers.
The creative team had to consider weather, wind, clouds, size and position of the moon, snow, cold and the constellation of the stars. All had to fit perfectly to create a work of art which lasted for 15 minutes only.
Frank Schwarzbach, a well-known photographer from Gerry’s team, was able to capture the tiger at the right moment which now ensures that the impression is captured for eternity.
“With his projections, Gerry Hofstetter knows how to convey nature, messages and topics in a spectacular, sensitive, quiet and sometimes tongue-in-cheek manner,” wrote the organizers.
The projection should also draw attention to a beautiful animal species which is ever more critically endangered.
It should motivate people to fight for the tiger’s preservation with the perseverance, bravery, and passion of a tiger. And this not only in 2022, but in every single year and moment!
Original article in the Jungfrau Zeitung
1min trailer of the creation of Tiger on Eiger
Zurich Film Festival – an Interview with Aurel Graf
The Extraordinary Cinema Culture of Zurich, Switzerland
Liam Klenk was born in Central Europe and has since lived on four continents. Liam has always been engaged in creative pursuits, ranging from photography and graphic design, to writing short stories and poetry, to working in theatre and shows. In 2016, Liam published his first book and memoir, 'Paralian'.
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