In spite of the many trails and hiking possibilities available in the Bregenzerwald, the area often invites me to instead head out in search of adventure without a particular destination in mind.The further from the beaten path I get, the more authentic the places and moments become and the details become clearer: The various trees, individual plants, their stones, and my thoughts.
I often think of our minds as storerooms filled with glass jars. At the beginning, the chamber is empty and yet with time we begin to collect experiences about all sort of things in different order: A jar filled with joy, one with passion, a dark container of fear and a hidden glass of rage.Over the course of our lives, we fill all the jars with moments, memories, tastes and feelings. Our bodies store the sum of our experiences. Sometime we consciously retreat to these chambers as we consciously recall old stories and memories to the forefront.
Since the beginning of humanity, we’ve searched for methods to conserve and preserve. Salting, burying, fermenting, cooling with snow and ice, smoking – these are the ancient methods. And our memories and stories are much the same. We write, paint, photograph, boil something down to its essence, all in an attempt to hold on to memories in order to conserve the here and now and to preserve memories.