Following the holistic approach of image making already applied in the paleolithique 36’000 years ago, Höhle by Philippe Durand opens a dialogue between the pre-historic Chauvet Cave and contemporary forms of photography.
The journey begins in the elevator shaft, where 17 metres of immersive prints from Chauvet, l’aventure intérieure unfold as the doorless elevator cabin climbs towards the GUTS floor. In the main room, Durand presents a series of bas-relief photographs of Chauvet, produced in collaboration with the Ricoh company in Japan. The bas-relief were displayed on cardboard stalactites and stalagmites derived from the meshes of 3D cave models designed by GUTS especially for the show. On the floor, grids are fixed onto marble pebbles through photographic emulsion, deforming with the relief and curves of the stones and extending the image into the physical space.
Through these different approaches, Höhle explores the boundary between image and object, vision and touch, material reality and imagination/projection. Rather than treating photography as a fixed, two-dimensional medium, the installation considers how an image can acquire depth, texture, and physical presence. Höhle thus becomes an experience of re-enchantment, where tactile perception and contemporary image-making converge.