Lost Objects

Lost Objects (2015)

The valley of Lauterbrunnen, at the foot of the Jungfrau massive, is a natural spectacle beyond compare. It is a place where man is confronted, at an extraordinary scale, with the power of nature: splendid Alpine peaks, cliff-like mountainsides and a series of spectacular waterfalls, which hurtle down along these rocky walls to be lost in mist above the undulating meadows of the valley. This unique scenery is a remnant of primitive times, but the narrow plain between these two vertical walls of stone and forest has become a cultural landscape over time. The Lauterbrunnen valley counts a few small villages, some of which evolved into tourist resorts for summer and winter entertainment.

However, beyond these crowded places, one discovers -in the openness of the valley- a series of lost objects.

These objects are man-made constructions which were distributed in seemingly random order, or shall we say lost, in the middle of this breathtaking setting. They seem to quietly rest in the green meadows of the valley, being overshadowed by a towering cliff on one side and looking to another cliff at the opposite side.

Still the force and presence of nature is so dominant in this place that they do not manage to completely merge into their context. However weathered by wind and cold they might be, they remain somehow lost.

These lost objects are all different, yet the same: a new house, a farmer’s barn or a dilapidated shed, every construction is humble, has something vernacular about it. They shall not be called buildings, because they do not pretend to be. The word construction evokes better the craftsmanship and tradition involved in their coming-about. These objects are, in one way or the other, a reflection on the origins of architecture: the alpine translation of Laugier's primitive hut.

This reportage is a tribute to authenticity and beauty of these lost objects but even so to the power and presence of nature in this place. These constructions are a lesson to all other buildings in the valley: Lauterbrunnen is a place where nature has the upper hand.

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Jérémy Vansteenkiste (June 2015)