Tignes

Tignes takes as its starting point the culture of the ski resort webcam. Its non-stop, unmediated live broadcast of chair-lift stations, ski runs and mountain vistas is at the same time banal and sublime. Out of season, no longer the fixation of winter-sport enthusiasts in need of a snow report, the broadcast continues, unabated and unwatched. It is within this period that the work exists, both temporally and conceptually.The video presents four views of the French ski resort of Tignes. Positioned high above the alpine treeline, its construction of late 1960s concrete architecture is set against steep backdrops of bare rock. The presence of the ‘webcams’ as permanent installations in the landscape is indicated by the accumulation of raindrops, dirt and spiders’ webs on the camera lenses. All this however is far from accidental and has been choreographed and manipulated with precision.Structured according to the principles of a webcam broadcast, shots change between views at regular intervals. The viewer may occasionally witness an event or action as someone or something is caught on camera, only for the narrative to be interrupted (possibly to be returned to later) as the strict rhythm of the edit is maintained.