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