LA JOIE RESISTERA !

Description

In October 2020, a handful of activists founded the first ZAD (Zone à Défendre) in Switzerland on Mormont Hill. Gradually, a growing community gathered there to defend this landscape, which was threatened by the expansion of the quarry of the multinational company Holcim. From the first huts and barricades to their demolition and the brutal eviction by law enforcement, the site is inhabited, transformed, and defended. The goals of this coexistence quickly go beyond mere "Against Holcim" and develop into an immense, complex, and layered "For". Photographer Nora Rupp, who gained the trust of the activists, documents during this 165-day occupation the community life unfolding in nature, everyday gestures, and the tension of an unequal fight of ordinary citizens against a concrete giant. This transformative experience prompts her to create a space for dialogue through her lens between a society afraid of what escapes norms and people united by optimism and the desire to explore other possibilities. In a world torn apart by profound climate and social crises, LA JOIE RESISTERA ! invites us to question our own relationship to life, others, and our organizational models. The exhibition, created in close collaboration with ZAD activists, features award-winning images from Swiss Press Photo 2022 as well as previously unpublished works and portraits, where ZAD activists are skillfully masked to maintain their anonymity. These images highlight the limits of militant engagement on an individual level and emphasize the beauty and creative power of coexistence.

Highlights

• Exhibition about the first ZAD in Switzerland
• Documentation of community life during the occupation
• Addressing climate crises and social challenges

General Information

The exhibition "LA JOIE RESISTERA !" takes place at the Ferme des Tilleuls in Renens VD. It sheds light on the emergence and defense of the first ZAD in Switzerland and invites visitors to reflect on their relationship to life and social organizations.

Location

Rue de Lausanne 52, 1020 Renens VD, Switzerland

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