Pergamon 2nd Life
Pergamon 2nd Life is a joint art project created by the author, mime artist, and photographer Andrey Alexander from Moscow, Russia, together with the author, circumnavigator, and producer Angelika Gebhard from Bad Wiessee, Germany. In a photographic installation extending over 30 m in length and up to 4 m high they recreated the missing parts of the Gigantomachy frieze of the Pergamon Altar.
Artistically inspired reconstruction
The fragments of the Great Altar, which were excavated by archeologists under the direction of Carl Humann in the area of ancient Pergamon in 1878, have numerous empty surfaces. The missing parts and figures of the gods and giants depicted in the original 113 m Gigantomachy frieze were added by Andrey Alexander in the form of photos and drawings he had made of present-day athletes, actors, and of fragments of ancient sculptures.In a five-year process, these photographs were then edited with respect to color, surface structure, and elaboration of the details and inserted into the gaps of the remaining marble fragments. The result is a fictional, artistically inspired reconstruction of the original. Leading European archeologists and scientists were consulted for advice on the project.