Vernissage “WORLD’S BEST ASTRO PHOTOS”
Around 130 invited guests were enchanted by the universe at the opening of the Sternwerkstatt pop-up gallery in the Linzerie. After a witty welcome by the well-known nature filmmaker Erich Pröll from “ORF-Universum” as patron, astrophotographer Dietmar Hager presented his works, which depict the starry sky in captivating brilliance.
Dietmar Hager is a doctor by profession, more precisely a sought-after hand and microsurgeon. His second passion is astrophotography. His images of galaxies are in demand worldwide and have received numerous awards from NASA. The works are created with an enormous effort of 30 to 80 hours of exposure plus processing time in his observatory, the Stargazer Observatory in the Mühlviertel or on international soil. Guests of the Ars Electronica Center Linz are familiar with his images from the Deep Space 3D Astroshow, in the development of which he played a leading role as curator.
The large-format astrophotos, on which impressive star formations can be seen, are limited, certified and available in individually manufactured frames, some of which are also backlit. The photographer’s motivation for this exhibition is clearly expressed: the starry canopy, which has accompanied people since the beginning and is becoming increasingly difficult to see in the night sky of big cities, should once again become part of our “everyday” surroundings as a wall decoration and inspire us.
The pop-up gallery is complemented by stellar pieces of jewelry made by goldsmith Lilli Pulkrab based on Dietmar Hager’s astrophotographs.
The pop-up gallery is open until December 30. On November 12 at 7 p.m., the gallery will also host the book presentation of Hager’s first literary work “Vom Zauber der Sterne und dem Ende der Nacht”. The book deals with the topic of light pollution and its effects on the visibility of the stars. It is a fiery plea to return to nature, to encounter it openly and receptively and to maintain a connection with the cosmos. Registrations for the book presentation are possible until November 5 via the website sternwerkstatt.org.
