A Way of Life - Notes on Ballenberg is a book of photographs which immerses readers in the rural life of Switzerland in the past and which pays homage to the beauty of architecture and everyday peasant objects. Beyond contemplation, the book invites reflection on the usefulness of simplicity of design and production in our world of overconsumption.
Rolf Fehlbaum, former president of the Swiss furniture manufacturer Vitra, invited famous designer Jasper Morrison and architects, David Saik, Tsuyoshi Tane and Federica Zanco to look at everyday objects and rustic buildings dating from the 14th to 19th centuries.
The project took place at Ballenberg, an open-air museum which bears witness to daily life in the Swiss rural and artisanal world of yesteryear. The museum has various functional buildings (alpine chalets, barns, stables, laundry rooms, drying rooms, smokehouses or milk cellars) and around a hundred objects, all coming from almost every region of Switzerland.
Through the 168 photos and observations of the four creators, the reader is invited to admire and reflect on the functional beauty of rustic craftsmanship, each tool, each object and each building responding to a primary and essential need of a remote population superfluous. A very beautiful book intended for aesthetes and countryside lovers.
Lars M üller Publishers 32,00€
picture cover - narrow staircase © federica zanco / toutes les photos - courtesy of lars müller publishers
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