Roger Eberhard

‘Escapism’ is defined as “an attitude that involves withdrawing from the world and civic life for distraction or relief.” This term lies at the core of Roger Eberhard’s Escapism project, where he focused on the distinctively Swiss tradition of collecting peel-off creamer lids. This pastime became a real obsession for some as, for decades, they swapped their lids to build a collection. These lids became so widely distributed that they permeated Swiss collective imagination. Surprisingly, the pictures on them span all genres of photography. Roger Eberhard reappropriated exotic landscapes by photographing large high-resolution close-ups.

He plunged into the heart of a very Swiss way of briefly escaping everyday life while pondering over such lids during coffee breaks. The fact that the images are grainy betrays their true nature and brings viewers back to reality.

The project is accompanied by an outdoor installation and an itinerant exhibit covering a regional public transport bus throughout the Festival.