Hotel Eden had long been a paradise for those who had the means, a refuge in which to relax and regain strength and health, a vantage point from which to admire the sun rising glorious over the nearby mountains, a starting point for hikes through forests and up rocky mountain slopes. Outside time, Eden would last for ever, everyone knew that. Yet imperceptibly, the world beyond its walls changed, customs and habits shifted, the rich migrated elsewhere for their paradise and money became rare.
Unwanted and untended, a collector of bric-a-brac, saw in Eden the very place to hoard his treasures. Each floor, every room, even the corridors and basements, were assigned their lot. One room was filled with hangers of starched army uniforms, quaint ladies shoes littered the floor, silk petticoats were draped over boxes full of discarded woolen jackets. Another contained disused office equipment, relics of the age of counting machines, filling cabinets full of all manner of secretarial treasures. Corridors were stocked from floor to ceiling with badly bound books, collections of out-dated encyclopedias, detective series, comic books, … Saucepans, pots, cutlery, glasses of every shape and size were piled haphazardly on shelves that criss-crossed the room while much broken glass littered the floor.
With time, rain had forced its way through the roof, plants followed suit, and water dripped through plaster and fell on wooden floors till whole sections crashed unheard to the floor below. Vandals smashed the few remaining panes of glass that were still intact. Shadowy people came and went carrying off their bounty. Some lit a fire in the basement, scorching the white-washed stone walls, others made films leaving their decor stranded like an invitation to dream.
And dream people did. Some had Eden reduced to rubble to build a tourist complex. Others has it transformed into a rich hotel like in its heyday, though many had doubts about its would-be clients. While others dreamed of it becoming a centre for the arts and culture, a place of creation and exchange.
This exhibition is not a documentary of the Fall of Eden. Rather, it is a sideways glance at what remains, hopefully granting a glimpse of beauty concealed in the destruction and decay or capturing fleeting memories, seen as the faint traces of people’s past.
Don’t be shy! Join us. Leave a comment or suggest a name for one or more of the photos and you have a chance of winning one of the photos (of your choice).
For the title photograph (stuck typewriter keys) I suggest : WRITER’S BLOCK.
Neat, Sheila! If you win, which photo would you like to receive? The names of the photos appear below the photo to the left.
Suggestion for the whole set?
“The riddle of life past”
If I win, please Eden-03 (the shoes)
The shoes! They were so small, they didn’t seem real somehow …
Et bien j’aime vraiment vraiment beaucoup… Merci et félicitations… recherche et sobriété, simplicité et puissance, richesse et brillance… qu’à travers cet art tu gagnes chaque jour en épanouissement, en santé, en connaissance, conscience et don de toi.
Merci beaucoup, Yviane. Très gentil!
Si tu veux, n’hésites pas à proposer un nom pour une des photos dans l’expo. Tu peux éventuellement gagner une copie d’une des photos.
Amitiés.
I suggest the following name for the picture Eden-01 (the chair and the table)
“Rest in Solitary”
Wonderful pictures Alan, speaks louder than words…
Many thanks, Annelie. Pictures or words? I enjoy both. But the words are the greatest challenge and novel writing is an immense joy.
Hi Alan,
Neat expo
These are some titles that come to mind
04 Time to die
13 Andromeda Anguish
24 Mediterranean Mischief
14 Tempest
01 Waiting room
If I win I’ll select some photos then.
All the best
T.
Thanks Tony. As ever, full of innovative ideas!
Eden 07: The Master of the keys
Eden 10: Human Infinity
Eden 12: lost my words…
Eden 25: Pacman
Nice Exibition Alan! Congratulations! Where did you find such a place???? ;)))
HI Joelle. Where did we find it? We stayed in a B&B called La Casita, right next to it. It’s in the mountains in Valais not far from the French border.