Pavillon der Himmlischen Verheißung

In his recent work, Roland Boden (b. 1962 in Dresden, lives in Berlin) has been studying pneumopteria (also called ‘heavenly whales’), an animal species now presumed to be extinct. In various exhibitions and a scholarly publication, the German artist and researcher has painstakingly compiled the historically recorded appearances of this mythical creature.

The Pavilion of the Celestial Promise is a model reconstruction of a building in the Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden, which was destroyed and looted by British and French troops in 1860. According to various sources, the pavilion contained a sizeable vacuolith proving the existence of the species.

The reconstruction of the pavilion was motivated by the rediscovery of a fragment of this vacuolith in a private collection in Luxembourg and the desire to make it publicly accessible again. Visitors can also admire a diorama depicting an attempt made in 1863 in Tiaodengzhen, China, to induce one of these ‘Leviathans of the skies’ to land on a specially constructed platform.

With the support of the Service Parcs of the City of Luxembourg

Roland Boden

The artist, author and gravity expert Roland Boden (b. 1962 in Dresden, lives in Berlin) has been conducting extensive research into the problem of the reversibility of the uncertain. In characteristic works such as Kronos Project (2009), The Trace of the Chrubukh (2011) or New Hell City (2015), he has examined how the concept of reality tends to dissolve in the age of postmodernity. His works have been exhibited in numerous contexts, including Manifesta 3 in Ljubljana, Busan Biennale, New Museum in New York and ICA in London.
www.rolandboden.de

Materials

Existing pavilion, wood, steel, plywood, mixed media