Robert Bösch: «BIRDS»

With the book BIRDS, Robert Bösch has completed a journey into an abstract and experimental world of photography that has lasted several years. We had the pleasure of interviewing him about his new work.

After NOT SEEN, the next book that is not typical. How did the idea for the book BIRDS come about?

For both the book NOT SEEN and the book BIRDS, the real photographic images only served as raw material for the creation of new visual worlds. While working on the book NOT SEEN, I realized that birds are grateful motifs for these image creations. It's not about the animal itself, but rather about abstraction. Birds are an ideal motif for abstract, graphic images. This is probably because birds are not visually lost in the chaos of the world, like all other inhabitants of the earth, but because they stand out perfectly - detached from everything - as abstract graphics against a wide sky and above smooth water surfaces. Birds do not quite belong to this world.

Birds are an ideal motif for abstract, graphic images

The first ideas from Birds were realized as a Photo book. What was your experience with Bookfactory?

That's right, I laid out a Photobook Premium Flat in advance. A Photo book is brilliant for a first test run. I used the Photo book from Bookfactory as a prototype. It was so much easier for me to get a feel for the book. I appreciate this quick and uncomplicated option!

It's not just the Photos that make your new book unique, but also the high-quality screen printing. Why did you screen print the book?

Together with the book designer Mireille Burkhardt from BOB Design, I decided that screen printing would be an ideal printing process for my graphic and abstract bird pictures. In Lorenz Bögli, an international luminary of screen printing, I had the ideal partner for this book.

"Explanation by Bookfactory" Screen printing is a printing process in which the printing ink is pressed onto the paper through a fine mesh fabric using a rubber squeegee. The mesh openings of the fabric are made impermeable to ink using a stencil in those areas of the fabric where no ink is to be printed in accordance with the print image.

Screen printing is an ideal printing process for mys graphic and abstract bird picture

Screen printing - combined with flatbook binding - is an expensive and very complex process. I was therefore only able to produce this book in a very small edition of 50 copies. Each book is numbered, signed and comes with a plexiglass slipcase. The book costs CHF 1'800.00 and can be ordered here or purchased at my exhibition.

How satisfied are you with the result of the screen printing and the flatbook binding from Bubu?

The combination was ideal. Screen printing involves double-sided printing and the printed sheets are therefore suitable for flatbook binding. This bookbinding technique allows the open pages to lie completely flat. The image can thus be seen as a complete picture, without shrinkage.

This bookbinding technique allows the open pages to lie completely flat

Where can I view your BIRDS photos?

The paintings exhibited for the first time can be viewed in the Stalla Gallery. The address is: Stalletta Madulain | Via Prinzipale 15 & 19 | 7523 Madulain. The exhibition is open from Friday - Sunday 15h - 18h or by appointment. Pictures from my last projects NOT SEEN, NO MAN'S LAND and ENGIADINA are also on display there. A very comprehensive exhibition.

The new exhibition is in the Engadin, can we now expect a new book about ibexes? What next projects are planned? 

A new book is a long process. I had 3 years for Birds. Of course, I didn't work on it every day, but I worked on it again and again. At the moment I'm mainly busy with the exhibition and the publication of BIRDS. However, I have been working on two new projects for some time. Certainly not about ibexes - they can't fly :-)

Robert Bösch, photographer, geographer, mountain guide, has been working as a freelance professional photographer for over 30 years. In addition to commissions from industry and advertising, he works for renowned national and international journals and magazines such as Geo, Stern and National Geographic. He has published numerous illustrated books. Robert Bösch is an ambassador for Nikon.

As an alpinist, his travels and expeditions have taken him to all seven continents, where he has climbed many well-known and unknown mountains on difficult routes. He climbed Mount Everest for a film and photo assignment. He accompanied many of Ueli Steck's undertakings.

His pictures have been exhibited in various galleries and museums in Switzerland and abroad. In recent years, Robert Bösch has devoted himself intensively to landscape art photography. He has published numerous illustrated books. His latest books - "Aus den Bündner Bergen", "Mountains", "No Man's Land" and "Engiadina" - are dedicated to classical photography, to which he feels connected and which characterizes his work.

Further information on "BIRDS" and ordering:
www.robertboesch.ch