about the work

The Aiguille du Croissant (4259m), located between the Combin de Grafeneire (4314m) and the Combin de la Tsessette (4134m), is a summit traditionally used during the grand traverse of the Combins, a major race linking all the 4000m of the massif.

Although the needle is one of them, it does not enter the famous list of 82 summits of more than 4000m. It is nevertheless a demanding peak with a unique aesthetic...

This needle carries its name admirably well. It looks like a beautiful crescent straight out of the furnace of the gods of the massif. Resting on a plateau of frozen rock, it points its bulging and aerial back towards the skies...

In fact, I think that the names we give to summits sometimes direct our vision too much. If we let ourselves be carried away for a moment by this summit and its poetry without dwelling on the nomenclature, the lines it draws can evoke something else: the white flanks of a sleeping woman? the spine of an ice dragon from ancient times? in the mountains, there is no limit to creation, everything is allowed. At these altitudes, the imagination is in total freedom: it is the farandole of possibilities.

This picture, taken during a storm, invites the viewer to contemplate every detail. After a few minutes, lost in the bright white of the needle, he will see, pointing in a black fog, the summit of Grafeneire, hostile, mysterious: yes, it is there that the reckless climbers will go to finish their ascent; when the spring snows will have covered the sharp ice, thus allowing a more serene journey. And, below, to the left of the needle? an abyss of rocks rushing towards the glacier of the Crescent; while, towards us, the Wall of the Coast indicates the route to the skilful visitor of the world above.

The contrasts of this photograph highlight the massive aspect of the needle, between light and shadow.

This work is unique. Its simplicity is its complexity.