Introduction
Die Mimik der Tethys (The Expressions of Tethys) consists of a buoy seeming to float high in the centre of the iconic helicoidal ramp of the former FIAT factory at Lingotto. Its movement evokes that of the waves, and is achieved through a sophisticated engineering system that connects Die Mimik der Tethys to a sister buoy located in the Atlantic Ocean. The original buoy continuously transmits motion data via satellite to its double, and the information guides eight electric motors and cable winches, reproducing its motion in real-time. The artwork thus becomes a kind of hypnotic machine; a surreal presence that leads one to imagine that the monumental space of the ramp could contain the waves of the ocean.
The work seems to stage a legend related to the architecture of Lingotto, which, due to its shape and colossal scale, used to be referred to as ‘the transatlantic.’ The title is inspired by the figure of Tethys, the sea goddess of Greek mythology, daughter of the sky (Uranus) and of the earth (Gaia). The literary inspiration that this personification carries evokes a romantic conception of the sea, tied to the aesthetic and emotional experience of humanity in the face of the sublime grandeur of nature. Von Bismarck wants us to confront precisely our understanding of the concept of nature, emphasising that it is not innate but culturally constructed. The majestic and untamed ocean of the romantic tradition clashes with the idea of sea we know today, at the centre of urgent geopolitical issues; the one whose rise is a symptom of contemporary climate crisis; the one where thousands of people lose their lives on migration routes. Die Mimik der Tethys is therefore a presence with strong poetic significance, but it is also a direct witness of our troubled times.