Robert Bösch is a geographer and mountain guide as well as a freelance photographer for more than 40 years and a luminary of mountain photography. Forever on the lookout for his next work of art, he never fails to find a piece of magic in Ticino, the Engadin and the Arosa mountains. Now, he has collaborated with Dr. Götz Bechtolsheimer to bring to life a project that’s close to both of their hearts: a Moving Mountains Photo Book in celebration of the Tschuggen Collection’s philosophy of holidaymaking.
Though the mountains play a special part in Bösch’s work, for him, it is the image itself that is the star. He has focused on fine-art photography in recent years, describing himself in his native German as a “Bildsuchenden” (“image-seeker”). For him, motifs should not jump out or be obvious. He seeks to capture expressive, powerful images: those that might otherwise have gone unnoticed in the wider picture. As a photographer, he uses his camera to bring them to life.
It is this approach that drew Dr. Götz Bechtolsheimer to Bösch’s work and ultimately led to the birth of the Moving Mountains Photo Book, a collaborative project between the two. Around two years ago, Bösch embarked on a search of the Engadin, the mountains of Arosa and the Ticino region – the locations of the Tschuggen Collection hotels – looking for snow, larches, clouds, lakes. He wasn’t disappointed. The driving force behind Bösch’s work is not merely to capture the beauty of his landscapes; rather, he wants the viewer to linger on each image, to engage with it, to spend time studying it. He searches for truly interesting pictures; those that might be overlooked at first glance.
Bösch took over a thousand pictures for the Moving Mountains Photo Book. About ninety of them make it into the final version. Taken together, these pictures are more than the sum of their parts. The order of the pictures follows no apparent logic: they are neither geographically nor seasonally nor thematically sequenced. Despite this, they fit together; they give rise to a perceptible rhythm.
The accompanying texts bend themselves to this rhythm, honouring a sense of oneness with nature. The same oneness with nature is reflected in another common thread of the book, the Moving Mountains philosophy. Moving Mountains harks back to a time when the world stood still – and in these current uncertain times, it is the mountains that give succour to Dr Götz Bechtolsheimer and his family. More specifically, it is the Arosa mountains: the way the seasons change, the lively dance of nature. To Dr. Bechtolsheimer, the mountains seemed to suggest new paths. They inspired him to consult exercise experts, yogis, nutritionists, chefs and even farmers to create a plan for a healthier, nature-focused way of living that is as full of joy as it is substance. He playfully named this plan ‘Moving Mountains’ – and it is the concept on which the holiday philosophy of the four Tschuggen Collection Hotels is based today.
In the Moving Mountains Photo Book, Dr. Bechtolsheimer explores his thoughts and ideas on each of five pillars of the philosophy: ‘move’, ‘play’, ‘nourish’, ‘rest’ and ‘give’.
After two years of work, this collaborative passion project has finally taken form and is available both on-site in the Tschuggen Collection Hotels and online.
The images can also be viewed and purchased as part of an accompanying travelling exhibition. The pictures are currently on display at the Tschuggen Grand Hotel in Arosa.
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