Ice cave adventure

On the Dachstein: The echo of fire and ice

The "Parsivaldom" with the ice giants, which are also melting

(Bild: Wenzel Markus/Markus Wenzel)

Bells and glaciers in duet: the sound sculpture "Silent Echoes" by Bill Fontana had its world premiere in the Dachstein giant ice cave; it will be broadcast live to other cities. The "Krone" attended the unusual concert - a frosty experience.

It's really cold in the Dachstein Giant Ice Cave, which can be reached from Obertraun in Upper Austria.

After a long walk past stalactites and a cave bear skeleton, you reach the "Parsivaldom". Two ice giants rise up into the air, but they shimmer wetly, melting silently. Climate change has long since arrived in this natural wonder.

On Tuesday evening, "Silent Echoes", a sound installation by American Bill Fontana, had its brilliant world premiere here. The Capital of Culture Bad Ischl and the KulturEXPO Anton Bruckner are cooperating on the project.

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The fire in the Parisian church
"When Notre Dame in Paris caught fire in 2019, I wondered how the bells were doing," says Fontana in the "Krone" talk. The bells "survived", but remained silent for years after the fire. Fontana now uses microphones to make their "inner vibration" audible - "their subtle resonance with the environment". And he listens to the flow of the melting ice on the Dachstein: "A survival sound, because the glacier is dying," he says.

Both come together live in "Silent Echoes" to form a duet that develops into a stirring body of sound in the crystal-clear acoustics of the ice cave.

The aim is to build a "sound bridge"
"The Capital of Culture is thus focusing on the fragility of a world that needs to be preserved," says Director Elisabeth Schweeger. And "sound bridges" are being built: "Silent Echoes" was broadcast live to Linz on Tuesday.

From Thursday (and until October 6), the sound sculpture can be experienced at the Foyser and on the BIX façade of the Kunsthaus Graz and from Friday at the MuseumsQuartier Wien. It will also be broadcast to Los Angeles, and other locations may follow.

The live installation can be experienced in the Dachstein Giant Ice Cave as part of guided tours until November 3.