Background information
The ridge walker
by Michael Restin
«In times of Instagram, photographs are more important than ever»
10.1.2020
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Pictures: Thomas Kunz
Digitec Galaxus photographer Thomas Kunz is exhibiting a selection of his work for the first time at photoSchweiz – one of Europe’s most renowned photo exhibitions. On display are ten expressive photos taken during reports for our online magazine.
Your pictures are being shown at Photo Switzerland – congratulations!
Thanks! I’m excited about it. But I’m even more excited about seeing other photographers’ work.
How did your photos end up at photoSchweiz?
I first visited photoSchweiz in 2017. The size of the exhibition and the diversity of the works on display really impressed me. Until now, I didn't have the courage or an adequate series of photos to take part. At the end of 2019, our graphics team decided to take part in the January 2020 exhibition with a small selection of Galaxus reports and portraits. We created a concept, wrote the texts and submitted the whole package to the jury. After returning from my holidays, I got the good news.
Exhibitions still seem to be relevant, even in times of Instagram.
Definitely. After all, the exhibition attracts 30,000 visitors. So there is clearly an interest in photography – also in its printed form. I mainly see my own pictures online. But frankly, a picture printed on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308 gsm is something else.
They say a picture's worth a thousand words. Would you agree?
I thought today was more about «consume 100 pictures a minute». In any case, whether they’re printed or digital, one thing’s for sure: people are moved by photos.
Could you tell us more about the photos on exhibition?
The pictures were taken as part of four stories for the Digitec Galaxus online magazine. On this occasion I’d like to say a big thank you to Carolin Teufelberger, Natalie Hemengül and Michael Restin. They didn’t shy away from controversial topics. It was thanks to them that these unique stories came to life.
Sounds and looks like some of it was quite intense.
Yes, it was. Together with the editorial team, we were fortunate enough to meet many unique individuals and discover beautiful places. So you can imagine that the selection process was tricky. But in the end, we managed to boil it down to four stories. The stories we chose were also the ones that personally touched me the most. Each one of them has its very own flavour and contrasts with the other stories.
Discover the stories here:
Want to see the photos for real? Check out the exhibition:
**Photo Switzerland
10 to 14 January 2020
Opening hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Halle 622 & Stage One | Zurich-Oerlikon
Rico Schüpbach
Public Relations Manager
rico.schuepbach@digitecgalaxus.chI'm passionate about my job as a PR story writer. I've always been fascinated by advertising, magazines and media products of all kinds – from trashy Britney to highly intellectual Judith Butler. When I'm not at work, I enjoy spending time sharpening my critical view of society and deconstructing clichés. Nothing's more unneccessary to me than falling back into outdated role models again and again.
