Biennale Gherdëina and Climate Change: The Dolomites in Flux

The Biennale Gherdëina, an art exhibition in the Dolomites, is set against a backdrop of rapid environmental change. This summer, the mountains have been anything but static: on July 12, two climbers fell on the Hörnli ridge of the Matterhorn, and in August, further rockfalls affected various Alpine sectors. Trails and access routes have been closed, and guides are advising against ascents due to abnormal heat and melting permafrost. On the Marmolada, the glacier retreated two hundred meters in two weeks, revealing deep crevasses, rivers of water beneath the surface, and rock where snow once lay. The stability of the walls is changing, and the boundaries of the mountain are shifting. This transformation affects the balance of places and the way we inhabit and reimagine them. The article poses the question: what does it mean to design and create art in this context? The Biennale Gherdëina, held in the Dolomites, features artworks that engage with the landscape, but the changing environment challenges traditional notions of permanence and immobility. The piece reflects on the silence at high altitude, comparable to the silence one experiences before an artwork, and how that silence has been broken by these events. It underscores the urgency of addressing climate change in the context of cultural heritage and artistic practice.