Fragile Monument

Culminating at 3600 meters, the Rhône Glacier has become an object of scientific study and an important touristic site of the Swiss Alps. An eloquent indication of an anticipated disappearance, part of the ablation zone of the glacier, subject to melting, is covered with geotextile mosaics in order to protect it from solar radiation. Although these reflective covers can potentially help reduce the acceleration of glacial retreat, this practice remains contested by the scientific community. Evocative of an enigmatic setting, of shrouds or temporary refuges, the deployment of these survival blankets represents an anthropic attempt to control the landscape in a context of climatic upheaval. In an immersive work of image and sound, Fragile Monument explores the scales of temporality specific to the glacier, the water, the mineral environment and their entanglement with human rhythms. By questioning models of future ecologies, the work focuses on our complex relationship with an altered nature, where states of hybridity, vulnerability and sublimation are interweaved.