The tooth will out! Why has huge molar appeared on Poland’s most famous mountain?
A giant tooth has been carried to the top of Mt Giewont in the Tatras, in a rare example of molar mountaineering.
The huge replica tooth’s adventure was apparently part of an artistic operation organised by Japanese performance artist Makiko Yamamoto, although the reasons why she chose a tooth and why she chose Poland’s most famous mountain remain under wraps.
“The unusual item was carried up using a kind-of stretcher device the Slovaks use to transport food to mountain shelters,” said the Tatrzański news portal which spotted a trip for a group of Japanese lugging the huge tooth up the mountain.
Mount Brushmore: According to Polish folklore, Mt. Giewont is associated with a legend about sleeping knights who will awake when Poland is in danger.
“When they were asked why they were carrying such a big tooth to the top they said it was for scientific purposes but didn’t say anything more.”
Pictures also show the 120 centimetre tooth, which was also about 80 centimetres wide, strapped to a climber’s back as it went up the mist covered 1,895-metre-high mountain.
The huge replica tooth’s adventure was apparently part of an artistic operation organised by Japanese performance artist Makiko Yamamoto, although the reasons why she chose a tooth and why she chose Poland’s most famous mountain remain under wraps.
Szymon Ziobrowski, director of the Tatra National Park, confirmed that Yamamoto had been in contact with the park service.
“We gave her permission to bring the tooth to Giewont,” he said.
A showing of a documentary film shot while the tooth went up the mountain will be shown during Poznań Art Week later this month at which, according to Artur Adamczak, from the city’s Art University, they will “answer the questions about why the tooth and why the peak”.
This is not the first time a giant tooth has featured in Yamamoto’s work.
Witnesses to the ascent said the expedition looked well planned with the all the tooth team being well equipped, guided and ready to deal with the sometimes dangerous conditions that can be experienced on the mountain.
It is not the first time a giant tooth has featured in Yamamoto’s work. A molar installation featured at the 2018 Kyoto International Film and Art festival, with the artist explaining it was linked to Japanese legends of giants.
For more visit the Tatrzański news portal.
