Foto-Werkstatt Basel

Above the Tree Line

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:30 +0100

My photographic travelogue of the Swiss classic hike from Schynige Platte to Grindelwald First has started September 2, 2010.

Sequel 5: When one reaches the north flank of Mount Ussuri (see info to this image) the view on the main chain of the Alps is obscured by huge rocks. The terrain is rugged and treeless, and the trail requires caution and surefootedness. To the north the shimmering waters of Lake Brienz and Lake Thun are visible.

Jungfraujoch (3’478 m)

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 04:40 +0100

My photographic travelogue of the Swiss classic hike from Schynige Platte to Grindelwald First has started September 2, 2010.

Sequel 4: Jungfrau (4’158 m) and its neighboring peak Mönch (4’107 m) are separated by a col [saddle] that holds an observatory [‘Spinx’, the shiny knob on the rock, one third into the picture from the left], a railway station, and the Jungfraujoch Hotel. At 3’478 meters, this is the highest point in Europe that is reachable by railway, from which Jungfrau's summit is a short, icy climb up the northeast ridge.

The first picture of this photoblog shows the view from the Sphinx down the Aletsch Glacier [in today’s image the glacier is located directly behind the Jungfraujoch].

Jungfrau (4’158 m)

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 07:12 +0100

My photographic travelogue of the Swiss classic hike from Schynige Platte to Grindelwald First has started September 2, 2010.

Sequel 3: South of my resting spot (see yesterday’s photograph) and almost within my reach, several giant snow-covered peaks rise side-by-side to 4’000 m.

This gigantic 25 km-long wall of mountains dominates the valleys of Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, with Breithorn (3’780 m) at its western and Wetterhorn (3’692 m) at its eastern end. The wall is formed by the alignment of some of the most distinctive north faces in the Alps, among others Eiger (3’970 m), Mönch (4’107 m) and Jungfrau (4’158 m) [Ogre, Monk and Virgin], and overlooks the valleys to its north by a height of up to 3 km.

Second Breakfast with a Superb View of Gross-Fiescherhorn (4’049 m)

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:37 +0100

My photographic travelogue of the Swiss classic hike from Schynige Platte to Grindelwald First has started September 2, 2010.

Sequel 2: There are numerous places along the trail which invite hikers to rest and marvel at the spectacular mountain scenery. Yet the ridge shown in today’s photograph is the best of all!

Up there I ate an apple, took some photographs [tripod, cable release, enabled mirror-up function and circular polarizing filter] and was once again awestricken by the grandeur of the Bernese Alps.

A Swiss Classic: Hike from Schynige Platte to Grindelwald First

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:59 +0100

Over the course of the following days I will take you along on a classic high-Alpine tour offering superb vistas on glaciers and snow covered mountains. However, the pleasure is not for free: the trail is long and the hike strenuous (no climbing involved).

I got up at a quarter to 4 and took an early train to Wilderswil (Canton of Bern). From there, a cog-and-pinion railroad climbs 1420 metres over a distance of 7.3 km on its journey to Schynige Platte, 1’967 m above sea level. Insiders say that the views of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau from Schynige Platte are quite simply the best in the region. I can only agree!

Upon my arrival, the weather was superb. The sun just rose above the mountains and bathed the scenery in golden light. However, early morning haze and bright sunlight made it hard to take a decent photograph.

Today’s image shows the first part of the way: The trail traverses the side of the mountain on the left (it is visible there). It then climbs up to the notch high up to the right, by circling the rocky peak (Ussri 2’423 m) at its backside.

Smash137 Art at the Famous Basel-Line

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:25 +0100

"Smash137 is the name I have given to my self. I have chosen the name Smash in 1996 and since then stick to it because my plan was to hit the walls and track-sides of my city with a huge amount of fresh styles and so the name was just made for my mission."

Today’s blog entry concludes my photo series about street art by Smash137. Thanks for your interest!

Smash137 Art at the Famous Basel-Line

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:11 +0100

From the book "Smash137 – Smash Proof (On the Run)". From here to Fame Publishing (2009):

“Contemporary European style writing at its finest, ‘Smash137 – Smash Proof’ is an exciting look into the style development of Swiss graffiti writer Smash137 as he refines his craft. Smash137 is an impressive talent, who has heavily influenced not only the European but the international writers’ scene for years. He is renowned for his super fresh letter styles that while appearing simple are privy to some complex connections and transitions. One could say he is a master of a certain ‘complex simplicity’. While housed in seemingly simple bubble-esque structures his styles contain subtle but elaborate letter interconnections. This is a work in progress full of interesting twists and turns. Watch as Smash takes the art of writing to another level…”

Smash137 Art at the Famous Basel-Line

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:34 +0100

Basel’s main train station (SBB Basel) is de facto a terminus, with trains to/from France arriving/departing from one side and all the others from the others side. The later trains (the majority) use a multi-track train-path through the city, which is bounded by walls of buildings, streets, bridges etc.

It is forbidden by law to access this railroad property; violations are sentenced with high fines. Nevertheless, since the 80s these walls are completely covered with graffiti. The heyday of the ‘Basel line’ seems to date back in days gone by. However, to this day graffiti pieces get sprayed over time and again.

The ‘Basel line’ is our graffiti heaven! Numerous pieces by Smash137 can be found here. Today’s Photograph shows a piece, spray painted in 2008.

Street Art in Basel: St. Jakobs-Strasse

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:10 +0100

Today’s image shows the right half of a large and colorful graffiti piece by Smash137 (see yesterday’s image for the left half).

If you are interested in looking at more photographs of street art in Basel, I invite you to visit the street art section of my picture archive.

Street Art in Basel: St. Jakobs-Strasse

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:30 +0100

From a recent visit of my favorite graffiti walls in Basel I returned with photographs of a new piece by the Swiss street artist and graffiti writer Smash137. Today’s image shows the left half of the piece, tomorrow I will show an image of the right half.

The style of Smash137 has strongly influenced the international writers’ scene for years. Driven by his obsession for Western calligraphy, Smash137 is one of the most active writers worldwide, and so his signature graces many an object in public spaces from New York City to Moscow.

In December 2006, Smash137 and two colleagues were caught in the act of spray-painting a wall at the Basel line. In the recent trial Smash137 was accused of illicit entry and damage of railroad property and was sentenced to a fine of Euro 1,000. Together with the court fee the financial penalty aggregated to Euro 6,000.

When asked about his misdemeanor, Smash137 assured: “My intention has always been that people who like graffiti take pleasure in my art work, and those who don’t should at least not feel aggrieved by it.”
“Imagine the Basel line without graffiti: It would be a gray, dead and unsightly urban canyon”.

[Basel line - walls of buildings, streets, bridges etc. along a multi-track train-path through the city, completely covered with high quality spray paintings.]

If you are interested in looking at more photographs of street art in Basel, I invite you to visit the street art section of my picture archive.

Have a great weekend!