Only a few know his name, but practically everyone knows his pictures, especially of his posters for Swissair, The flight pioneer, Georg Gerster has made known to mankind the hidden beauties of the earth. Now he has died at the age of 90.
landscapes had become to see, for him, almost an Addiction, said the native of Winterthur. This enthusiasm that seized him, when the world was formed when you level up in something completely New TRANS, this feeling he wanted to experience again and again. Google Earth, he found boring, “it is the soul is missing”.
only a page Document for him, the Meditative and Philosophical, “start-up aid for flights of Thoughts”. His Motto was: “the height provides an Overview, and an Overview facilitates insight, and insight creates – maybe – consideration”.
With his usually perpendicular to the captured images, which often seemed like abstract paintings, not paved in the 1970s to the 1990s, young people had to the walls – unless you were one of the sought-after Swissair calendar get.
The heaven, the messenger of the Empress
Gerster photographed religious sites and shrines around the world. The Nazca lines in Peru. The giant of Cerne Abbas, with its foul-mouthed woman. Salt gardens in Tanzania, the remind box of a Watercolor. Flood areas in Iran, such as in the wrist been painted on. Fields how hand-knotted carpets. Glacier-foothills, such as blonde hair curls.
A special role Iran played In the late 1970s promoted and the Iranian Empress Farah Diba supported Gerster, to create the first comprehensive publication of their homeland from the air. “Iran through the eyes of Homa – Persia from above” was the title of the resulting exhibition, Homa is to bring an auspicious mythical bird. Gerster gave the country the 127 large-format images of thanks for the hospitality.
Not for autodidacts
On the 30. April 1928 in Winterthur born, had begun to return to the German language and literature studies as a Journalist at the “world week”, first of all, for the Feuilleton, for the Department of science. To photography, he found the fact that he shot pictures for his articles and books himself if he found nothing suitable.
His first flight images – the expression “air shots” detested he is, technically, created in 1963 for a book on ancient Nubia. From a rented Cessna, he documented the temple and the pyramid fields, which were built by the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, in the North of Sudan and which should be flooded after the completion of the Aswan high dam. The image sequence was also used for the Illustration of the Unesco-initiated rescue of Abu Simbel.
stumbling blocks – easy
It fly over flight expeditions followed in over 100 countries. Always with you: ten cameras – because it is the most important factor when flying, and do not have time for a film exchange, and a Phillips screwdriver. With the remote he in the air the window, or better yet the whole door witnesses. Once wanted him to enter the Tower no start-up permission, because he let the aircraft door in addition to the rolling field. He had a Swiss with claustrophobia on Board, radioed the Pilot to the Tower. Since you had a View.
a bit more complicated, it was, as he wanted to capture the great serpent mound in Ohio, and its Pilot couldn’t find the place. Gerster managed to persuade the man to an illegal landing, quickly with a farmer for directions.
Georg Gerster in his archive in Zumikon. (2. April 2018) Gaetan Bally/Keystone
another Time, he flew under the Radar of the authorities – with a client couple over Brazil, as the wife needed a potty break. You landed on a Sandbank in the middle of a piranha-infested river, and the Pilot shortened the waiting time with fishing. As the plane made independently, and down the river drive, is said to have captured the Pilot of it with the fishing rod and pulled. Se non è vero, è ben trovato. Gerster sat more often the rogue in the neck.
His work to disasters survive
3500 hours of flight time completed Gerster, more than three dozen books he published, his Work has been exhibited, among others, in the British Museum, he was awarded the Prix Nadar and his epoch-making book “man on his earth” was selected as one of the 1000 books which would be a disaster in the network.
a week Ago, he died in his 91. The age of the family, like a death notice is found in the “NZZ”.
(oli/sda)
Created: 15.02.2019, 08:08 PM
