Camera Obscura, Bernina

The "Camera Obscura" on the tower of the silo facility at the Bernina maintenance base of the Graubünden Civil Engineering Office is a windowless room. Light falls through a hole in the wall onto the concave inner wall, reflecting 'the image' of the landscape - an unexpected way of viewing the landscape. The original form of the camera obscura works without a lens. Just a hole in the housing of a dark room creates the image of the outside world on the inside wall. Its viewing angle covers 180° in all directions, a kind of 'optical blank'. The situation on the Bernina Pass is a phenomenal constellation of a primal optical method, an arctic landscape and the function of the base in the context of the seasons.

The reflection of the outside world through the pinhole into the interior of the camera obscura leads to a contemplative act. It takes time for the eyes to adjust to the darkness and for the image to be perceived. The cylindrical shape of the interior turns the projection screen into a concave 'Cinerama' that is turned inwards, which further intensifies the visual experience.