Glaciers under cover
A history of preservation

Exhibition from 24 June to 17 August 2025

As part of the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, proclaimed by UNESCO for 2025, the Swiss Camera Museum is presenting a double exhibition dedicated to the preservation of these giants of ice. The first part brings together phototypes from the museum’s rich collections, highlighting its role in preserving this unique visual heritage. Outside the walls, on the Quai Perdonnet, the second part brings together contemporary photographs of Alpine glaciers covered in insulating tarpaulins, a measure designed to slow their melting. Assembled by Nathalie Dietschy (UNIL), this unprecedented body of work reveals the diversity of artistic and scientific perspectives on these changing landscapes, offering a striking reflection on the issues involved in protecting them.

Public opening night
Opening reception and round table discussion
« Alpine glaciers: what does the future hold for our landscape?»
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
at 6 p.m., followed by drinks

With Katia Bonjour (Swiss Camera Museum), Nathalie Dietschy (Art History Department, UNIL), Claude Reichler (Center for Historical Cultural Studies, UNIL), Emmanuel Reynard (Institute of Geography and Sustainability, UNIL), and Anna Katharina Scheidegger, artist and photographer.

Moderator: Pauline Martin (Swiss Camera Museum)

Alpine glaciers are threatened by rising global temperatures. Their melting has accelerated since the 1980s to such an extent that it is estimated that 70% of the mass of Swiss glaciers will have disappeared by the end of the century. This round table will discuss the technical, heritage, and cultural means of preserving the glaciers of the Alps. What options are available? What are the impacts on the landscape and the environment? What role does a heritage collection have to play in this story? How does artistic creation address these ecological issues?

On this occasion, Nathalie Dietschy will hold a book signing for her book Glaciers sous toiles. Une histoire photographique (Infolio, 2025).

With the support of the Atelier des histoires, UNIL.

2025 – Glaciers sous couvert