Interview with Thomas Biasotto | The future of photography

Claudia Betschart

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Bubu was allowed to accompany the latest work of photographer Thomas Biasotto from the idea to the finished work. In the interview with him, you can find out what moved him to create the work «MASSIV» and what drives him.

Aiguille de Blaitière

Your last book, «MASSIV», Bubu was allowed to bind for you: can you briefly explain this project to us?

The idea for this book and project came about one evening in 2020 in Saas-Fee. Work on images for a new book had already been going on since 2018, and my wife and I made the decision to put into practice the vision born in our minds and hearts to contribute to the protection of our beloved mountains with a project.

For this reason, the proceeds of this book will go entirely to selected foundations and organizations dedicated to the protection and preservation of mountain worlds.

The survival of these worlds is in danger. We all know it. We all talk about it. Now it is necessary to act promptly.
Our deepest wish is to show as many people as possible, through this project, the unique archaic beauty of the mountain MASSIVES and to raise awareness regarding the fragility of the inherent ecosystems. May it encourage other initiators of projects to contribute to the protection of our stone friends. May they be preserved for future generations!

MASSIVE, the title of the illustrated book, is program:
MASSIVE in its appearance and in its topicality to raise awareness of the MASSIVE threatened mountain worlds. In combination with the illustrated black-and-white photographs of photographer Thomas Biasotto, stories of unique people who live and work on the mountain are portrayed.

MASSIVE Mountain Stories & Achievements:
What stories and experiences on the mountain have MASSIVELY shaped the lives of these «mountain» people?

MASSIVE problem/challenge:
Where do these «mountain» people locate and recognize the most imminent threats to the protection and preservation of their beloved mountain environments? How can it be prevented that these unique mountain worlds are not «eroded away» by human hand?

MASSIVE progress:
What has changed in alpinism and how?

Aiguille du Dru

You also accompanied this work with multimedia, including the short film «A letter to my daughter» – what is this letter about?

This letter was written during a high alpine tour in 2021. They are lines I wrote to my unborn (now born daughter) Mathilda. My deepest wish is simply (what the film should also say) that if Mathilda has children one day, she should show them the mountains and find them as we know them today.
For this, however, we must all contribute to the fact that this can and will be so. The film should also trigger something individual in each viewer.

Allalinhorn

In the «MASSIV» project, various partners accompanied and supported you; what role did Bubu and Bookfactory play?

That, of the bookbinder, that of the friends and partners as well as that of the supervisor. From the advice, from the ideas and from the conception of the physical book, my team were absolutely supervised and advised at the highest level. The execution is master work par excellence and I am so immensely grateful to have Bubu and Bookfactory as partners.

Mountain panorama from Lagazuoi

What were the considerations behind the image selection for the «MASSIV» project?

Curating a book is always a very delicate, difficult, but also beautiful job! It takes an incredible amount of time and resources. From around 2000 images, I created a pre-selection to 1000, then a 2nd pre-selection to 500. These 500 images were physically printed and laid out on the floor in the 500m² studio of HI-Switzerland Lucerne. There was another round together with Creative Director Daniel Klauser, where each of us stuck Post It’s on our favorites.
There were matches or not and so began the process of discussions – why yes or why no.
Next came the decision of the order, which should come one after the other, which not and how big should they be placed in the book. Very exciting and intense and so there are now almost 150 pictures immortalized in the book, all of which I would use again exactly the same way.

Mountaineers on the Aletsch Glacier

The images in «MASSIV» are mostly in black and white, a few in color: what are the considerations behind this?

I like the minimalism on black and white. The contrasts seem much deeper and the complexity of the colors falls away. Less is more and so I love the contours, contrasts and massive presence of the images in black and white.

Biancograt, Piz Bernina

You also offer photography classes: what are your 2-3 «quick tips» for Bookfactory clients?

There are countless! But I do have one insider tip. At www.gridon.ch there is the WiKiGRID (https://gridon.ch/wikigrid). Here you can find many tips and tricks around photography! Also there are great and exciting workshops and trips. Among other things, also massive mountain photography workshops, in which the mountain in black and white is the focus.