–win / erwin staeheli   art-photography
enter
«imagine the light is playing tricks»
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-win / erwin staeheli
born 1955 in basel, switzerland

Erwin staeheli studied art in Basel, Switzerland. After a period of watercolor painting he changed to photography. From 1980 to 1994 he worked as a civil engineer, planning and supervising roadworks, concrete and steel constructions, and water supply systems. Since 1995 he has worked as an art photographer. He lives four months out of the year in Central Queensland, Australia where he digs for sapphires and takes photographs. Physical work is essential for his artwork. That’s one of the reasons he prefers to use the medium and large format cameras and why he prints the old fashioned way on fiber-based papers in his own laboratory.Seven of his exhibitions have been held in Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and France. His photography has been published in exposé, featuring pictures of the Jura mountain range. The photographs are inspired by the tension between urban life and nature. Of his compositions, staeheli explains, «Watching the pictures one might become contemplative. What’s the meaning of work? What am I doing here? There’s always an exit on the pictures following the source of the light. It’s not a really safe exit. But it makes you move on.»


exposé
a jurasssic journey
66 black and white photographs and a short story
ISBN-13: 978-3-7965-2233-8 / ISBN-10: 3-7965-2233-5
delivered by Schwabe AG, CH-4132 Muttenz

The pictures in this book came into being in the Jura, along the border between Switzerland and France. They span a geographical area between Basel and Geneva. The Jura is a mountain range of limestone. During the Jurassic geological period this limestone was deposited in a shallow sea. The malm, dogger and lias layers of rock were deposited successively, and later, in conjunction with the folding of the Alps, were formed into what is now the Jura range. The word Jura(ssic) is simultaneously a geographical and a geological term, as well as the name of a geological period. The word was originally Celtic and means «wood». The word «exposé» also has several meanings. It stands for:
«Exposed to the elements»
For example, being exposed to the climate of the Jura. That means having to bear the damp west wind and the cold north wind. It was in La Brévine that the coldest temperatures ever recorded in Switzerland were measured. A stay in the Jura also means being exposed to atmosphere. The landscape can give the impression of wide openness, but can also appear dark and sinister.
«Exposing film»
Photographic film material is likewise exposed to light. Analog film, with its base, light-sensitive emulsion and protective layers is reminiscent of geological sediments.
«Summary»
The project «exposé» is a summary of my impressions from hikes and working stays in the Jura.


“printing is an important part of the artistic work”
the lab for printing fibre-based papers and working with medium and large format negs has been in operation since 1997.


“imagine the light is playing tricks”