Si gäbä eim doch so viu zrügg

For some time now I have been dealing with my family history, which has its roots in Ticino. I am following its myths and researching the geographic reality. Together with an ethnologist and genealogist I am searching for a long forgotten story.

The pictures we show in an exhibition are only a fragment of the photos we take. There are the blurry ones, the too dark or too bright ones, the ones that were better from a different angle or the ones that are just too ordinary or don’t tell a story. Instead of showing a finished selection in this exhibition, the unselected pictures of my longterm project about binational relationships are on display.

The visitor becomes the curator by making a selection out of the unselected.

The process of finding suitable trees for my project, inevitably lead me into the forest. The installation is trying to transport the atmosphere found in that forest into a room using image, sound and smell.

The installation is about the experience - forest.

Domestic violence is a theoretical and complex topic. Much sensitivity, respect and restraint are necessary. It is hardly possible to depict this topic with a reportage. This is one reason why domestic violence is rarely addressed visually. Before a picture can be taken, elaborate and comprehensive research is necessary.

My daily photographic practice is largely based on working with color negatives - a particularly unstable medium. When not stored properly, developed color negatives lose 20-30% of their color intensity within 10 years. My installation at the “work in progress” exhibition plays with my own obsessive (and irrational) desire to preserve my color negatives for as long as humanly possible.

Never since the beginning of human history we’ve had a more comfortable life than now. Despite the many advantages of today‘s society, we are living increasingly unhealthy.

9% of the Swiss population suffer from depression.

I want to investigate the history of mankind, why we settled down even though this meant a loss of quality of life and whether we can turn back the wheel of time.

In an age of multitasking and hyper-productivity, it’s difficult to find time for new ideas. Once found, they are scrutinized for their effective worth. What is the project about? Who is the audience? Why should they care? ‘Proof of concept’ is complicated in the creative space. This installation shows a stream of work over several weeks, navigating the process of a photographic research project.

With climate change, not only are the glaciers melting, but large areas of permafrost are also being thawed. If the temperature rises by more than 1.5 degrees, the permafrost melts and rock is loosened.

Pedro Rodrigues' work includes the thematic visualization of the landslide in the Upper Valais region.

All things in life really only gain their value from the fact that nothing lasts forever. For me personally, this has become increasingly apparent after the birth of my two children. They inhibited my accustomed way of photographic production, but finally also added their part to my work, expanding my scope and view of the world.