(previously published in March 2011)
Colbert conceived a sustainable touring museum
He envisioned a structure that would be easy to assemble at stopover sites around the world, providing a transient environment for his work on this global tour. Ashes and Snow’s first public installation at the Arsenale in Venice, which opened in 2002, served as inspiration for the architectural concepts used in the Nomadic Museum.
The Nomadic Museum in the Zócalo, designed by Colombian architect Simón Vélez, occupied 5,130 square meters and consisted of two galleries and three different theaters. For the first time, the Nomadic Museum incorporated water as a design element to recall the unique history of the Zócalo, which was once surrounded by canals. This architectural choice honored the symbolic importance of the Zócalo as the center of Mexico Tenochtitlan, a city founded by the Aztecs in 1325 on an islet in the middle of Lake Texcoco.
The exhibition consists of more than 50 large-format photographs, a 60-minute film and two short “haiku” films.
To date, the exhibition has had more than nine and a half million visitors worldwide.
“By exploring the poetic sensibilities and language shared by all animals, with my work I seek to rediscover that common ground that once existed when people lived in harmony with animals. The images show a world that has no beginning and no end, no here and no there, no past and no present.” Gregory Colbert
It is preferable that you watch the film and, AFTER, look for all the complementary information on the Ashes & Snow website.
It is recommended to watch it by purchasing the original DVD on a big screen.
As an intermediate point, turn off the lights, disconnect the phone, full screen and enjoy !
I hope you liked it!
The exhibition continues, hopefully indefinitely, to rotate around the world.
I hope to be able to see it someday.
Its marketing is also spectacular
You can find from a simple bracelet to a first limited and numbered edition.
If you want to look good, what is said good with someone, this is the gift.
Both the catalog cover and the collection box are handmade on Nepalese paper coated with beeswax, and are bound with a string of hibiscus leaves and Nepalese beads. The printing has been done in Italy, on Italian stitched paper baleen. It contains 111 pages and 50 sepia color images.
My recommendation is The Film. A piece for life.
Personally, I am more interested in the creators than in their works.
I leave you with this interesting interview with Gregory Colbert conducted by the prestigious journalist Rizwan Khan, on Aljazeera’s ONE on ONE program.
Mr. Colbert could have no other tone of voice.