A Gentle Dance With the Elders
In my film project The Invisible Mountain, I seek to reconnect with the ancient stories of Anniviers, a valley nestled in the Swiss mountains, and to reinhabit ways of thinking inherited from our ancestors
In my film project The Invisible Mountain, I seek to reconnect with the ancient stories of Anniviers, a valley nestled in the Swiss mountains, and to reinhabit ways of thinking inherited from our ancestors
In this process, the voices of elders hold a central place. But how can one meet them, enter into relationship with them, truly connect? And what can I offer in return for their time and their testimonies?
The project Les Colporteuses came into my life at a key moment in my creative process, as a response to these questions. Led by Johanne Haari, Sara McLaren, and Myriam Gaudin, the project meets elderly people living at home in Anniviers, as well as those residing in shared living spaces in the surrounding area, such as the nursing home in Sierre. The three artists offer workshops centered around objects and exchange, drawing inspiration from these moments shared with elders to create a performance dedicated to them.
During these workshops, they tell stories, reveal objects, create shadow theatre, and play guessing games—but above all, they listen. The moments that marked me most were those of movement, where, in a gentle dance, the contact of hands touching illuminates people’s eyes.
As the videographer of the project, I filmed these moments while carefully respecting the anonymity of the participants—moments that reconnect us to the present, to the past, to others, and to ourselves.
