Since 2008, Tao Schirrmacher, a European champion in river surfing, has been diving to the bottom of Munich’s Eisbach River to bring lost objects back to light. What began with one luxury gold ring has since grown into an impressive collection of found objects and artefacts.
Like the objects themselves, their stories seem to have been forgotten, hidden deep beneath the surface. Yet it is not their material worth that makes them valuable, but their emotional and personal significance. An object becomes precious as it carries memories, tells stories, and forges ties to people, places, experiences, or meaningful moments. The display of this collection at Haus der Kunst was born from a desire to return these objects to their stories — or to create new ones. This exhibition forges new connections and associations between Haus der Kunst, the Eisbach River, and Englischer Garten.