Explore Switzerland’s iconic mountain range in a entirely new way: an exhibition opening on 20 September 2022 at ETH Zurich presents the St. Gotthard Pass in the form of an animated digital landscape model on a big LED-Screen. Visitors will be able to view the different layers and scales of the entire alpine range, from Erstfeld to Bodio, through VR goggles.

You will be able to experience the landscape right down to the smallest detail, including the road and railway infrastructure that is so typical characteristic of the region. The journey will be enhanced by digital sounds linked to certain geographical locations. The different layers of the digital model provide both a bird’s eye and an underground view of the St. Gotthard Pass. This produces an aesthetic abstraction that sparks the viewer’s imagination.

The work represents a decade of team effort from the Visualisation and Modeling Lab, led by Christophe Girot. The digital model was produced by laser scanners that map the alpine landscape in millions of registered points and link these with photographic images of the landscape. The result is a highly precise point cloud Lidar model that enables sections, views, measurements and movements through the virtual alpine space and some of its most prominent infrastructures. The exhibition not only celebrates the Gotthard region, but also a central element of Switzerland’s infrastructure history.

The Gotthard exhibition runs from 20 September to 30 September in the Main Foyer of the ETH Main Building at Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zurich. The preview will take place at 6 p.m. on 20 September, followed by a round table discussion on the digital model. The exhibition ends on 29 September with a round table on the culture of the St. Gotthard Pass.

Opening times

• 20 – 30 September 2022: Monday–Friday: 8.00–22.00; Weekends: 9.00–17.00
• Preview: 20 September 2022, 18.00
• Closing event: 29 September 2022, 18.00

Venue

ETH Zurich, Main Foyer, Main Building, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zurich

Further Information