PIED À TERRE Daniel Meuli
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pied à terre Noun | \ pya-dä-târ`\ Literally: „foot on the ground“ Definition: A smaller or secondary domicile; a second home
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My home is the Engadine Valley. The striking landscape with its harsh climate has shaped me into who I am now. It grounds me and profoundly touches my being. The awe-inspiring force of nature evokes humbleness through its genuine and brutally honest presence. My works attempt to grasp this magnificence and undeniable honesty in nature. Analog photography seems to be the perfect approach. The light is captured unaltered on photographic paper. Pure analog magic. Timeless, essential, candid.
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MEN ’ S NO MAN ’ S LAND The mountain passes of the alps are a frequent transit way. At off-peak times, the human activity subsides, leaving behind a deserted landscape immersed in an eerie stillness. This no man‘s land merges with the remaining human traces to form poetic compositions.
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men ’s no man ’s land #1 2014 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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men ’s no man ’s land #2 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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men ’s no man ’s land #3 2016 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 90 cm x 62 cm, Each (Diptych) Unique
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men ’s no man ’s land #4 2014 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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men ’s no man ’s land #5 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 52 cm x 62 cm Unique
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men ’s no man ’s land #6 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 90 cm x 62 cm Unique
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men ’s no man ’s land #7 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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TEMPORARY HORIZONS The imposing mountainscapes of the Alps can evoke a sense of insignificance and confinement. In bad weather conditions the daunting mountains dissolve and vanish in the white infinite. The restraint dissipates and the horizon broadens. Even if only for a fleeting moment the soul soars freely.
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temporary horizons #1 2016 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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temporary horizons #2 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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temporary horizons #3 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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temporary horizons #4 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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temporary horizons #5 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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temporary horizons #6 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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temporary horizons #7 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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(IR)REVERSIBLE The image taken by my camera is a direct paper positive. Therefore the photograph depicts a mirror image of the actual subject, similarly to what happens to the light hitting the retina of a human eye before the brain reverses it. These photographs challenge the notion of what is perceived as real. An exciting new experience of an otherwise all too familiar landscape.
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( ir)reversible #1 2014 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 90 cm x 62 cm, Each (Diptych)
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( ir)reversible #2 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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( ir)reversible #3 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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( ir)reversible #4 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 90 cm x 62 cm Unique
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( ir)reversible #5 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 90 cm x 62 cm Unique
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( ir)reversible #6 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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PERMANENT IMPERMANENCE Nature is in a constant state of change. The creative and irresistible forces of nature continuously transform the landscape.This series of photographs pierces the seeming permanence of the mountainscape to reveal its whimsical beauty.
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permanent impermanence #1 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 90 cm x 62 cm, Each (Diptych) Unique
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permanent impermanence #2.1 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm, Each (Triptych) Unique
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permanent impermanence #2.2 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm, Each (Triptych) Unique
permanent impermanence #3.2 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 3 x 62cm x 90cm Unique
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permanent impermanence #2.3 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm, Each (Triptych) Unique
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permanent impermanence #3.1 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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permanent impermanence #3.2 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm Unique
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permanent impermanence #3.3 2015 Ultra Large Format / 1:1 Direct Positive 62 cm x 90 cm cm, Unique
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MY CAMERA In order to achieve an almost unprecedented amount of detail in analog photography I decided to capture the light on ultra large photographic paper. This meant I had to build a custom camera that could handle the oversize format. The camera ended up being a walk-in cabinet the size of a horse trailer. It literally became my second home – my Pied à Terre.
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Credits Scans & Postproduction CastorScan / Marco Campanini Camera Construction Support Claudio & Silvano Meuli Making-of Photos Filip Zuan Richard Walch Special Thanks Susanne Staib Doris & Walter Castelberg Francesca Scaroni Sabine Leuzinger Gian-Andrea Albin Oliver Conrad
Daniel Meuli Via vers Mulins 4 CH - 7513 Silvaplana +41(0) 79-468 58 70 donmeuli@mac.com www.danielmeuli.com
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