aare
Staumauer Oberaar, 2'663'985, 1’155’550
Stausee Grimselsee, 2'663'717, 1'157'210
Grimselpassstrasse, 2'668'455, 1'157'676
Sidelhornbahn Bergstation, 2'668'371, 1'157'310
Grimselpassstrasse bei Mälchenegg, 2'669'071, 1'158'750
Staumauer Räterichsboden, 2'667'891, 1'160'204
Staumauer Räterichsboden, 2'667'891, 1'160'204
Staumauer Räterichsboden, 2'667'891, 1'160'204
Staumauer Räterichsboden, 2'667'891, 1'160'204
Staumauer Räterichsboden, 2'667'891, 1'160'204
Handeck
Aareschlucht, 2'659'567, 1'173'714
Aareschlucht, 2'659'567, 1'173'714
Aareschlucht, 2'659'567, 1'173'714
Alpenbrücke Thun, 2'613'113, 1'179'480
Hunzigenbrücke, 2'607'556, 1'193'152
Muri Bad, 2'604'063, 1'196'878
Fähre Bodenacker, 2'602'433, 1'197'151
Lorrainebrücke, 2'600'329, 1'200'178
Felsenauviadukt, 2'600'681, 1'202'012
Felsenauviadukt, 2'600'681, 1'202'012
Tiefenaubrücke, 2'601'408, 1'202'902
Tiefenaubrücke
Ara Abwasserreinigung Herrenschwanden, 2'599'531, 1'202'304
Ara Abwasserreinigung Herrenschwanden, 2'599'531, 1'202'304
Ara Abwasserreinigung Herrenschwanden, 2'599'531, 1'202'304
Ara Abwasserreinigung Herrenschwanden, 2'599'531, 1'202'304
Halenbrücke, Herrenschwanden, 2'598'455, 1'202'264
Wasserkraftwerk Mühleberg, 2'588'289, 1'202'010
Wasserkraftwerk Mühleberg, 2'588'289, 1'202'010
Wasserkraftwerk Mühleberg, 2'588'289, 1'202'010
Wasserkraftwerk Aarberg, 2'587'340, 1'209'644
Wasserkraftwerk Aarberg, 2'587'340, 1'209'644
Wasserkraftwerk Aarberg, 2'587'340, 1'209'644
Kraftwerk Hagneck, 2'580'193, 1'212'172
Kraftwerk Hagneck, 2'580'193, 1'212'172
Kraftwerk Hagneck, 2'580'193, 1'212'172
Kraftwerk Hagneck, 2'580'193, 1'212'172
Kraftwerk Hagneck, 2'580'193, 1'212'172
Kraftwerk Hagneck, 2'580'193, 1'212'172
Kraftwerk Hagneck, 2'580'193, 1'212'172
Ufer Ipsach, 2'584'048, 1'219'216
Wasserkraftwerk Brügg, 2'586'229, 1'218'593
Wasserkraftwerk Brügg, 2'586'229, 1'218'593
Wasserkraftwerk Brügg, 2'586'229, 1'218'593
Wasserkraftwerk Brügg, 2'586'229, 1'218'593
Wasserkraftwerk Brügg, 2'586'229, 1'218'593
Wasserkraftwerk Brügg, 2'586'229, 1'218'593
Ufer bei Moosbrüggli
Moosbrüggli, Nidau
Wasserkraftwerk Wynau/Schwarzhäusern, 2'626'346, 1'233'908
Wasserkraftwerk Wynau/Schwarzhäusern, 2'626'346, 1'233'908
AARE. Water, an artifical medium?
Artefacts and infrastructures along the Aare.
The work of photographer Claudia Christen strikingly reveals how extensively the Aare has been shaped by human hands. Where others seek nature and refreshing coolness in and around the river, she set out in search of a different perspective: what is built, narrowed, straightened, and lined with infrastructure. The river has long since ceased to be just a river. Much depends on its water; it cuts through farmland and landscapes or is seen as an obstacle. Reservoirs, power plants, treatment facilities, and bridges stand as visible architectural witnesses of this civilized infrastructure.
Portraying these not only as functional architecture but also with aesthetic sensitivity became Claudia Christen’s artistic task. With meticulous precision, the photographer documented the Aare from its mouth to where it flows through the canton of Bern. She captured what is man-made, what constitutes infrastructure, and thus what is meant to serve people by making their lives easier. The photographs deliberately present, at times in abstract form, both the exterior and the lesser-known inner views of the technical structures that line the Aare, as well as the ever-changing landscapes—mostly far removed from the river’s original meandering form.
From 2021 to 2022, Claudia Christen documented the Aare with a large-format camera at around 35 different sites.
Grant: Bildende Kunst, Fotografie und Architektur des Kantons Bern 2020/2022
Exhibition: Fall 2022