Swiss Review 3/2021

Swiss Review / June 2021 / No.3 12 Images Two lovers look into each other’s eyes – their faces two red islands of warmth. A protective mask covers nose and mouth – like a thermal heat shield un- der burning eyes –withhair, head and neck combining to create a fiery im- age born of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thermal images along a colour spec- trumranging from light green to dark red are familiar to anyone who has dealt with house energy efficiency is- sues such as gaps in insulation. Swiss architect Philippe Rahm, 53, who was educated at the EPFL in Lau- sanne, has used thermal imagery to create an artistic series of fiery snap- shots that are on display at the Swiss Camera Museum in Vevey until the end of August 2021. French speaker Rahm, who lives and works in Paris, is an international pioneer in atmos- pheric architecture, which studies cli- mate factors such as heat, cold, wind and humidity. He designed a huge eco park that opened in 2020 in the Tai- wanese city of Taichung. Rahm’s fa- vourite piece of professional equip- ment is his thermal imaging camera, which transforms invisible infrared radiation into different colours. Human heat maps Which is giving off more warmth? The radiator or the heating engineer’s body? The thermal images in Vevey include an intimate portrait of Chilean archi- tects (and couple) Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen as well as a selfie by Philippe Rahm himself. The reds in these pictures give off themost warmth. They are invisible human heat maps made visible. JÜRG STEINER “Infrared” by Philippe Rahm – a special exhibition on display until 29 August 2021 at the Swiss Camera Museum in Vevey, www.cameramuseum.ch