LUMEN Celebrates the History of Mountains in the Dolomites

South Tyrol, Italy

The following description is courtesy of LUMEN.

I see mountains glow far away*

Man’s fascination with mountains has been unbroken as long as anyone can remember. LUMEN gives this fascination a photographic home: located at the summit of the region Kronplatz (in South Tyrol), 1,800 square metres are dedicated to mountain photography. Spanning four floors LUMEN offers the possibility to experience the history of mountain photography from its beginnings until the present as well as displaying the art of mountain photographers from all over the world.

A scientific approach and entertainment are not contradictions — LUMEN shows historic pictures and digital innovations, exciting temporary and special exhibitions as well as spectacular productions. The curated program stands out due to its interdisciplinary character: alpinism, tourism, politics, spirituality, and history — the subject mountains is examined from different perspectives. The ‚Shutter‘ is a particularly impressive eye-catcher – it is a huge shutter which can be opened and closed and therefore can be used as a projector screen.

Meanwhile, the restaurant ‚AlpiNN‘ combines culinary delights with a stunning view. An event venue that holds up to 200 people offers space for seminars, meetings and events. Even the location itself is special: in the heart of the Dolomites — the „most beautiful natural architecture in the world“ (Le Corbusier) – the building of the former mountain station of the ‚Kronplatz‘- funicular shines resplendent in its modern look at 2.275 m.

Thus LUMEN makes a great contribution to profiting from the region’s potential all year round and adds value to all of its surroundings. With the trinity of exhibition – event space – alpine cuisine LUMEN erects a monument in the honour of mountain photography — multifaceted and extraordinary, just like the mountains themselves.

To See, To Be Astonished, To Be Filled With Enthusiasm: Structure & Exhibition Rooms

To fulfill the objective of the house, which is to combine entertainment with a photographic approach, LUMEN rewrites the rules for the presentation of mountain photography. It is shown in the scenography of the exhibition rooms as well as in the concept regarding the contents of the establishment. Thanks to the support of national and international partners it was possible to create an exciting course offering visitors a new perspective on the „old“ topic of mountains. Multi-perspective accesses in combination with a unique scenery — LUMEN makes the topic of mountain photography a holistic experience.

Alpinism

The permanent exhibition Messner meets Messner by Durst is dedicated to the mountain pioneer and ambassador for the protection of the Alps, Reinhold Messner. It starts with innovative approaches and state-of-the-art technology for alpine sport in the Adrenaline Room designed in cooperation with Red Bull Illume. The world’s greatest photography contest dedicated to adventure and action sports showcases the most extraordinary and most creative pictures in the shape of multimedia installations — pure adrenaline!

Nature, Culture, & Illusion

LUMEN expounds on the eternal synergy of the forces of nature as well as to the mountain as a cultural symbol. The mirror room shows an artistic-poetic consideration of the specific atmosphere of the mountains – where does reality end and illusion begin?

Dia Horama

The Dia Horama presents photo sequences with the most important photographers of the exhibition and offers the opportunity to immerse oneself in the oeuvre of famous international photographers.

Marketing & Tourism

Dream destination, attraction or a place of longing? The marketing of the mountains has started quite naively 150 years ago, but nowadays it has reached a magnitude about which various photographers have expressed their concerns. The subject area Marketing & Tourism takes a close look at the mountain as a brand which is nowadays used and abused as a logo for countless products.

Politics

What kind of influence do politics have on the reception of the mountain landscape? With the formation of the nation states in the second half of the 19th century there occurred an ideologization of the alpine area: suddenly, mountains and summit regions are used as political borders. Mountains became symbols of nationality that create identity. The exhibition shines light on the mountain as a symbol of power and symbol of born winners.

Dolomites

When justifying awarding the state of world heritage UNESCO explicitly named the Dolomites as a source of inspiration: the mystique and attraction of the pale mountains in literature, visual arts, and photography has always been an artistic subject. Each year the LUMEN museum for mountain photography invites photographers to discover and capture their version and vision of the uniqueness of the Dolomites.

Physics

Even the photography can’t do without its share of physics and chemistry. Which laws have to be followed while taking pictures and which „little powders“ let you take the perfect photo? The collection is dedicated to the physical conditions of mountain photography.

Wall of Fame

In its beginnings, mountain photography has been an exclusive part of scientific research. Photography as a proof or a memory of experienced adventures did not matter — too expensive, too risky and too difficult. Due to the pioneers of mountain photography, its „touristic“ use was gradually discovered: the Wall of Fame is dedicated to the brothers Bisson, Joseph Tairraz, Bernhard Johannes, Jules Beck and of course Vittorio Sella as the first photo-alpinist.

Time Out

Relax, enjoy, unwind and immerse yourself in the majestic nature — LUMEN lets you experience the mountain as a place of retreat, too.

Room of Miracles

Real and rare artifacts from the world of mountain photography can be admired in the Room of Miracles — a treasure trove for mountain enthusiasts and those who want to become one.

The AlpiNN – Food Space & Restaurant

In the restaurant AlpiNN, the culinary concept “Cook the Mountain” by Norbert Niederkofler, has found his home. Here on the summit of Plan de Corones with its breathtaking views of the Dolomites panorama, mountain culture and tradition are combined with culinary and gastronomy. From local raw materials and simple, pure natural ingredients Resident Chef Marco Perez, under the direction of Norbert Niederkofler, serves accessible dishes that bring the genuine taste of the local mountain cuisine unadulterated on the plate. Cooking is done with deep respect for the rhythms of nature and in harmony with the environment. Seasonality and regionality are an important focus.

LUMEN Forum

The event room holds up to 200 people and offers space for conferences, seminars, workshops, and events.

The Partners

Doing justice to the variety of mountain photography would have never been possible without the support of our national and international partners. We are thankful not only for their trust but also for their constructive and tight-knight teamwork in terms of content.

The Tyrolean Archive of photographic documentation and art (TAP) is luminary resource when it comes to collecting, digitalising and presenting historic photographs. As an innovative initiator for photographic arts within the whole European region Tyrol, TAP has not just been a regional partner of the LUMEN museum for mountain photography since the beginning but it is the first one to have its own exhibition.

The company DURST, located Bressanone, is the second regional partner to jump on board. Thanks to the expertise of the world-leading producer of trendsetting production technologies, the digital reproduction of the exhibited pictures was possible.

With NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, an international partner has been acquired for the project: a leading non-profit organization that invests in courageous people and transformative ideas in the areas of exploration, scientific research, storytelling and education. The Society is also known for state-of-the-art nature photography and an extensive archive.

The second international partner is Red Bull Illume: the world’s greatest photography contest dedicated to adventure and action sports is responsible for the design of the ‘Adrenaline Room’, featuring the topic alpinism and extreme sports.

Fratelli Alinari, founded in Florence in 1852, is the oldest company in the world still active in the field of photography and communication by images – a thoroughly respected partner for LUMEN. The photographic corpus kept by Fratelli Alinari has few equals in the world: more than 5 million images, including historical and modern photos, vintage prints, negatives on glass and film and colour photos. A careful selection of mountain photographs from the Alinari collections, taken by major photographers such as Giorgio Brunner, Giovanni Battista Unterveger and Fosco Maraini, is now on display at the Lumen Museum.

The gastronomic partner of the LUMEN museum for mountain photography is Norbert Niederkofler’s project COOK THE MOUNTAIN. The culinary research workshop, focused on alpine gastronomy, has found its domain in the restaurant AlpiNN and is creating an innovative cuisine of the alpine cuisine.

Facts & Figures

LUMEN is…

_Architecture: Arch. Gerhard Mahlknecht is responsible for the clean-elegant design of the establishment.

_Exhibition design: we have to thank GiòForma and the workgroup with Beat Gugger, Martin Kofler, Richard Piock and Manfred Schweigkofler for the conception and the szenographic realisation of the exhibition.

_Graphic Design by zukunvt. _1,800 square metres of exhibition area: the wide range of mountain photography can be experienced on four floors.

_Culinary of the highest calibre: the restaurant AlpiNN creates culinary highlights — including the astonishing view

_Venue and event space holding up to 200 people _since 20.12.18: a holistic experience which celebrates the love for mountain photography in all its facets.

Practical information

www.lumenmuseum.it
info@lumenmuseum.it

*by Wilhelm Busch