This year, the photographic exhibition Witnesses to Ice, presented in Geneva at frame of the International Glacier Film Festival, features works by Thomas Crauwels. It's an opportunity to revisit the history of Alpine glaciers, and to evoke the mission pursued by the photographer: to bear witness through his art to the grandeur of the high mountains, and thus contribute to the preservation of the Alps' heritage.
Photographic exhibition Witnesses of ice 2023 | In honor of alpine glaciers
The photographic exhibition Témoins de glace runs from October 9 to November 9, 2023, in the central aisle of Geneva's Parc des Bastions. Five renowned artists present their works as a tribute to the beauty of Alpine glaciers. Through their art, they aim to raise awareness of the fragility of these endangered ice jewels. Thomas CrauwelsNicolas Crispini, Bernard Garo, Eddy Mottaz and Jacques Pugin are ambassadors for a kingdom where ice was once king, and which now mourns the irretrievable melting of its eternal snows.
The photographic exhibition will take place in the heart of Geneva at frame during the 7th edition of the International Glacier Film Festival (FIFG), to be held at the Maison des arts de Grütli from December1 to 3, 2023. Documentaries, round tables and conferences will highlight the consequences of climate change on the world in general and the Alps in particular. Inviting the public to rethink their relationship with life and act differently for the future.
A brief history of the evolution of Alpine glaciers
The extent of Alpine glaciers has fluctuated over the millennia, adapting to alternating glacial and temperate episodes. Giving the mountains the appearance of white-draped colossi or coated creatures. Around 115,000 years ago, the Earth experienced its last great ice age. Rivers of ice flowed down from the mountains to invade the valleys. They deposited their moraines and dug lakes. Sculpting the landscape, they reigned over the Alps. Until the day when cold gave way to warmth. The glaciers slowly retreated, taking refuge at very high altitudes. Waiting patiently for their moment of glory to return. Then, one fine day, the sun weakened, the volcanoes awoke and the elements came together to bring back the cold. The Little Ice Age took hold on Earth in the 14th century AD, giving glaciers the strength to grow. Even if it meant shaking things up, gorging themselves with snow to gain strength. And believing themselves to be eternal in the face of such opulence.
But fate had decided otherwise. From 1850 onwards, Alpine glaciers were inexorably retreating. Losing a little more of their mass every year. And their melting is accelerating in the 21st century. In addition to natural factors, the impact of human activity is now a major cause of their extinction. As sentinels of the climate, glaciers are among the first victims of climate change. By the end of the century, glaciers in the Swiss Alps could have lost 60-95% of their current volume. Suffering terribly from repeated heatwaves, some are already disappearing, while others are being reduced to nothing. The Alps are changing at a dizzying pace. And we are not yet fully aware of the consequences of this change, in terms of natural hazards, hydrology, biodiversity and our societies. The age of glaciers seems to be gradually coming to an end, and it's now up to us to preserve its history while striving to protect the Alps from fate.
The art of Thomas Crauwels | Photography as a witness to the grandeur of the Alps
Thomas Crauwels pursues an ardent and precious quest. To work for the memory of the Alps. To immortalize the magisterial beauty of a crystalline realm that rubs shoulders with the heavens. To watch for the fleeting moment when nature suddenly reveals all its majesty. That precise moment when the elements come together to offer the most grandiose of spectacles. When, from shadow to light, the mountains are reborn, whitened by the winds and carried by the mist, the photographer sublimates the elusive. His art bears witness to the purity of their forms, the poise of their edges. Playing with light, texture and color, he portrays these titanic mountains that stir his soul as they touch our hearts. Contemplating his powerful, sumptuous works, we venture to the top of the world. A fabulous journey to summits, beyond ourselves to find ourselves.
Through his photographs, Thomas Crauwels bears witness to the grandeur of the Alps. Perpetuating the legacy of a world in metamorphosis. Turning the ephemeral into a sweet moment of eternity. So that we can always admire the splendour of these legendary mountains. Sovereigns of ever more evanescent lands where ice and rock mingle, sparkling, to offer the stars all the beauty of the world.
Discover the photographic works of Thomas CrauwelsNicolas Crispini, Bernard Garo, Eddy Mottaz and Jacques Pugin in Geneva's Parc des Bastions from October 9 to November 9, 2023.
