Luca Zanier (1966), of Italian descent, born and raised in Zurich (Switzerland), professional training as a photographer. Having worked both in Italy and in France, Zanier set up his own studio in Zurich. Since 1993, he works as an international freelancer in the domains of advertisement, reportage and independent artwork. Zanier's focus is on landscape, still life, people and art work

Fields of activities

architecture, commercial/advertising, fine art, industry, land/cityscape, portrait, reportage

Website and contact

CORRIDORS OF POWER

Statesʼ have Governments, Corporations are steered by a Board of Directors and even organizations of our civil society – Labour Unions for example – function in conjunction with a superordinate governing body or umbrella organization. Should decisions be made publicly or voluntarily as in Democracies or taken in a constrained fashion as in Dictatorships: decisions made by individuals determine a large part of our collective existence. Our societal, economic and political leadership or command is in the hands of a few decision makers and the location and place in which they make their decisions may be pompous, representative and publicly accessible, and sometimes small, inconspicuous and covert. In any case they are Corridors of Power. They are spaces, which I photographically wish to portray.

PROJECT Space and Energy

Enormous spaces, endless walkways, wide sluices, cryptic signs; all combined with miles of cables and pipes. They form a technical universe that radiates a cool logic. A hidden world, known only to a few and yet which has a huge influence on our day to day lives, absolutely essential in fact. Nuclear power plants, coal-fired power stations, storage facilities for nuclear waste and other energy systems can at the same time intimidate and fascinate a visitor. They seem to have originated from other planets or science-fiction films. Strange worlds, emanating a cool logic; cathedrals of industry, temples of an energy-guzzling society. Energy systems are hidden universes, accessible to very few people, highly protected against accidents and terroristic attacks.

My intention is to capture these plants on film in an artistic manner. Pure information is in the background. The idea is more about perspectives, colours and shapes. What I am proposing is to dissipate technology into aesthetics, at least to a certain extent. Only the caption will remind the beholder of what he or she is contemplating: A highly complex system whereof our modern life depends. Energy systems which serve us and, at the same time, can threaten us.

Luca Zanier Zürich 2011
 

Product in use