Canadian Centre for Architecture presents

17 Volcanoes: Works by Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn, Armin Linke, and Bas Princen

Curated by Philip Ursprung and Alex Lehnerer

17 Volcanoes revisits the explorations by German-Dutch explorer Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn who made several expeditions in Java in the service of the Dutch colonial authorities between 1836 and 1848. He was among the first colonists to climb the island’s many volcanoes. His legacy in the realm of cartography, botany, geology and writing can be compared to the role of Thomas Stamford Raffles, Alfred Russel Wallace or Alexander von Humboldt.

Exploring seventeen of his favourite Javanese volcanoes, the project sheds light on Junghuhn as an imaginary guide and as an exemplary figure in order to find out more about the relation between tourism, travel, research, and about the way sites have been transformed into sights and tourist attractions. These volcanoes mark territories that allow the interweaving of historical and contemporary narrative of Indonesia. As politically, economically, and culturally charged objects that behave in periodic cycles, these volcanoes are neither urban nor rural, neither alive nor dead, neither past nor present, and neither good nor bad.

The exhibition presents some of Junghuhn’s scientific and artistic works, namely books, lithographs and maps, in conjunction with works of art by the photographer Bas Princen and the photographer and video artist Armin Linke. It also features two sculptures made out of volcanic stone by a stone carver in Magelang, Java, one representing the Mount Merapi, the other the so-called Chicken Church built in 1990 near Merapi. Princen and Linke, joined the expeditions to Java, together with experts such as the volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer and the literary historian and author Elisabeth Bronfen.

The exhibition is part of a research project at Future Cities Laboratory at Singapore ETH Centre in Singapore.

THE FCL
The Future Cities Laboratory was established in 2010 by ETH Zurich and Singapore’s National Research Foundation as part of Singapore ETH Center in Singapore. More than a hundred international researchers work on the challenges of urbanization in the context of South East Asia.

THE CCA
The CCA is an international research centre and museum founded on the conviction that architecture is a public concern. Based on its extensive collection, exhibitions, public programs, publications and research opportunities, the CCA is advancing knowledge, promoting public understanding, and widening thought and debate on architecture, its history, theory, practice, and role in society today.

For more information, including operating hours, visit: www.cca.qc.ca    514-939-7000

Canadian Centre for Architecture
1920 rue Baile
Montreal, Quebec
H3H 2S6

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