Bringing antiquity back to life

A visit to the Pergamon Panorama 

Text Yadegar Asisi

Pergamon is the splendid Hellenistic metropolis that united the achievements of its time in architecture, art and culture like no other. In a unique cooperation between art and science, Pergamon has been staged and brought to life by Yadegar Asisi in an exhibition with a 360° panorama as if you were standing in the center of the ancient city in the year 129 AD.

As part of an exclusive tour, 40 members and friends of the VBKI were able to let their gaze wander over the scenery around the Acropolis - and let the creator of the panorama personally take them by the hand. Yadegar Asisi has been fascinated by the techniques of spatial illusion since he was a child. For both the young and adult Asisi, the technique of drawing is an instrument for understanding the world and shaping his personality.

As early as 1995, he created four panoramas in Berlin dedicated to the future of the city. The master plans for central locations such as Potsdamer Platz, Pariser Platz, Schlossplatz or Alexanderplatz, which were created in the course of the redesign, are each presented in their own panoramas in newly erected rotundas in order to give Berliners or visitors - in short, the general public - an opportunity to "knowingly" discuss the design of the city.

The great success of the project spurred him on and after further installations and developments, such as on the Hanseatic League or for the reconstruction of the World Trade Center by Daniel Libeskind, the opportunity arose to create his first large panorama with around 3,500 square meters of picture surface in his old hometown of Leipzig. Asisi realizes that there is potential in the panorama, which he wants to develop further in terms of content and concept and take away from the limitations of the 19th century.

The VBKI would like to thank Yadegar Asisi for the insights into his very personal experiences and for the fascinating background knowledge he shared with us during the tour of the Pergamon Panorama.