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Art at the Edge of Possibility
Peter Senoner’s large-scale work, created within the climate simulator of Eurac Research, stands at the intersection of art and science.
A Chat with Stefan and Peter Senoner
Upon entering Alpe Pragas, visitors are immediately drawn to an extraordinary piece. Measuring two metres high and three metres wide, and immersed in a deep cobalt blue, the work commands attention. It slows the gaze, invites contemplation, and opens a space for reflection. The surface itself seems almost to breathe.
“When I first encountered this piece, I immediately recognized its value,” says StefanGruber. “It has the rare ability to create a powerful tension between fascination and unease, between beauty and discomfort. That is exactly what I seek in art.”
The artist behind the work is Peter Senoner, born in Bolzano in 1970 and raised in Val Gardena. His artistic practice explores the boundaries between humanity, nature, and technology. Through hybrid figures and enigmatic forms, Senoner investigates the invisible forces that shape our perception of the world.
The work exhibited at Alpe Pragas emerged from an exceptional collaboration with Eurac Research and the Transart Festival. The project was developed inside terraXcube, a unique climate simulation facility capable of recreating some of the most extreme environmental conditions on Earth, from high-altitude Himalayan environments to severe cold, storms, and oxygen-deprived atmospheres.
“The scientific data already existed,” Senoner explains. “What was missing was a way to make people feel what happens inside such an environment.” For him, art became a means of transforming scientific knowledge into an emotional experience.
To realise the project, Senoner moved his studio directly into the climate chamber. Over the course of two years, he prepared himself to work under increasingly demanding conditions. Inside the sealed environment, oxygen levels were gradually reduced to simulate an altitude of approximately 5,500 metres. There, surrounded by silence and the sound of his own breathing, he created a series of works that challenge both physical and perceptual limits.
The piece at Alpe Pragas is therefore far more than an installation. It is the visible trace of an extraordinary encounter between art, science, and the extreme conditions of a rapidly changing world.
