Explorers
Commissioned by EQ2- photographic investigation of Le Valais.
Yannic Bartolozzi set off on a mission. He decided to follow pilgrims of science into the white unknown. He joined the men in white suits who choose to chase rays of sunlight in a land that is engulfed by fog. In this frozen landscape the man of science becomes an elite alpinist. However, despite his acquired survivor instincts the scientist still seems astray, lost and confused by the vastness of the land and the intimidating feelings caused by the pursuit of such a grand task: the never-ending quest for more knowledge. And so the man of science persists, and continues to move forward further and further into the landscapes of the moon. One echo follows another crunch of snow, a caravan of interconnected Gortex push and pull, slide up and down. Pikes and spikes are planted in mechanical super-synchronization. As their human breaths exhale in pairs they fight the slope and progress physically in the name of science. They are a team yet the will to surpass the other remains.
In a way, the scientist and the photographer share an obsession for impossible subject matter. One that aims to be tamed, reduced, dissected and resurrected according to a master dream-vision. They are those who fit the world into a mobile device so that we can hear the passing of time and watch life’s cyclical activities on repeat.
Text: Gabriel Bender // Translation: Marwan Bassiouni