Christian Kosmas Mayer’s installations shine a light on the stories behind historical artefacts and motifs that have been relegated to the margins of collective memory or have gone unnoticed. At the invitation of INNSBRUCK INTERNATIONAL, he has designed a site-specific installation for the Bishop’s Residence, first mentioned in the fifteenth century, which explores the legend of Ursula Southeil. Southeil is believed to have been born in York, England in 1488. Known as a healer, she gained posthumous notoriety as an alleged prophetess and witch known as «Mother Shipton». However, the prophecies attributed to her were later found to have been fabricated and were in fact released by a publisher a century after her death. The characteristic features attributed to Southeil – a crooked nose, protruding teeth and a slender figure – became the stereotypical image of witches and contributed to the demonisation of the female understanding of nature over the centuries.
Mayer approaches this multilayered story with a species of butterfly whose wing markings resemble the grotesque image of a witch – earning it the nickname «Mother Shipton». In the archives of the Natural History Collection of the Tiroler Landesmuseen, he came across an extensive collection of the species, which was once widespread in Austria but is now considered endangered due to habitat loss. Mayer uses his camera to focus with great precision on the unique wing markings of each specimen, highlighting the subtle variations in patterns that appear identical to the naked eye. This series of photographs is site-specific and is enriched by contemporary prophecies written in the spirit of Mother Shipton’s predictions, as well as documentary photographs of the spring where Ursula Southeil is said to have been born – a site believed to have petrifying powers.

Spread across Innsbruck’s urban landscape, telltales is another work by Mayer based on the ancient knowledge that the weather can be predicted using dried balsam fir branches. Mayer has revived this traditional method by installing «weather sticks» on various city trees in Innsbruck. These branches, which could easily be overlooked, reveal their seemingly magical abilities to those who are knowledgeable and observant: If the branches are pointing upwards, the weather is predicted to be dry and warm; if they are pointing downwards, the weather is predicted to be rainy.

In the interplay of these two works, Christian Kosmas Mayer creates a dense web of past and present, nature and myth, encouraging the viewer to consider the interweaving of forgotten knowledge and future possibilities in a fresh way. He reminds us that by reflecting and carefully examining the details we often miss, we can gain profound insights into our uncertain times.

In cooperation with Naturhistorische Sammlung der Tiroler Landesmuseen.

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