The Villa Cassel is owned by the Swiss conservation organisation Pro Natura. A prime example of Victorian architecture, it was built at the beginning of the 20th century by British merchant banker Sir Ernest Cassel. It is now home to an education centre focusing on the melting glaciers, including the nearby Aletsch Glacier. Photographer Sabine Tholen was commissioned to produce new images of the changing landscape of the Aletsch Forest following glacial shrinkage in recent decades. This stunning scenery raises an uncomfortable question: do we stand to gain something as the glaciers disappear? Tholen’s project – part environmental awareness-raiser, part aesthetic study – will make an important contribution to this debate.

Sabine Tholen was born in 1974 in Bonn, Germany, and lives and works in Geneva. In 2000, she graduated from Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil with an applied bachelor’s degree in landscape design. In 2006, she received a postgraduate diploma from HEAD – Genève for her project entitled “ALPes”, which focused on Alpine land- and soundscapes. In 2008, she completed an MA in Fine Arts at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design in London. She mostly exhibits in Switzerland, although her work has also been shown in London and Stockholm.

Sabine Tholen , MOOSFLUH, 2024. Edizioni Periferia Luzern/Poschiavo
With text by Matteo Terzaghi (ital.) Translation by Renato Weber (fr.), Barbara Sauser (allm.)
Design by Pablo Lavalley, Geneva