Alpine Wanderlust

Teju Cole’s photographs for me brought out emotions which I wasn’t expecting, his alpine wanderlust series based on photographs he took while in Switzerland captured the true essence of a country which is often forgotten but has beautiful natural scenery. His photographs look at cities through a local perspective which is often overlooked when people travel, one photograph which I connected with was his photo of a carton of empty Emmi milk boxes on the ground in the souther region of Switzerland in Lugano, this is a fascinating picture because there are tons of photographs of the alps, the ski resorts, the picturesque lakes and trains; however, in foreign countries a give away of foreign culture are supermarkets, there’s so much to learn from them because one sees the design aesthetic of a country, its organizational structure and the produce which are locally grown which people consume, so seeing the Emmi box it reminded me of my trip to Zurich where this brand was visible and its packaging was effortlessly Swiss – minimal, nostalgic and pastel tones. Teju Cole’s other photographs in the chalets and roads around Switzerland are also stunning because they capture the simple moments where if you’re walking by you won’t catch like the alps peeking through a construction site or details of steam boats on Lac Leman.