« Révolu, contemplation d’une dystopie » is the result of a photographic work spanning several years, carried out within the most iconic French Alpine resorts. This study presents an atypical portrait of these urban environments in the mountains, prompting the viewer to question the future of these territories.
The preface written by Sylvain Grisot (and trad by Chat GPT) :
“Concrete, lots of it. Architecture that is unmistakably tied to specific places and a specific era. Expanses of parking lots, grass, larches, mountains, and the horizon. By capturing ski resorts at this precise moment, Michel Lafleur aptly photographs two notable absences: snow and people. Going to photograph these iconic tourist destinations between seasons is like a leap in time. A projection into a few decades from now, when the snow we once believed to be eternal will have bid its farewell. For white gold is dwindling, as if we had mined the vein to exhaustion.
But there will still be a few good seasons left because the depletion of a resource isn’t simply reaching the bottom of the barrel. Some better-situated resorts may prolong the pleasure longer than others, and each snow-covered winter will create the illusion that the wall is receding. So, we cling to the present and refuse to imagine other futures. Yet, the après-ski cannot just leave these places lifeless, as they are between seasons. The sole prospect of abandonment is neither desirable nor motivating. But it is necessary to consider it because thinking about the aftermath isn’t just about imagining new layers of infrastructure and shiny business plans—it’s about considering a place for all living beings, perhaps sometimes without humans.
Let’s carefully observe these sentinel territories perched atop mountains, watching the snow fall with the anxiety that it might be the last. For all our territories have a resource that sustains them, one they believed eternal, but which is nevertheless running out. The sea view of the tourist coast threatened by waves, the water that fuels urban growth but is becoming scarce, the automobile mobility that nourishes the suburbs where imagining a low-carbon future is difficult… We all have our own white gold, and we understand that it will run out, but we don’t know when. So, a choice lies before us: buy a new set of snow cannons to buy time, or start thinking about what comes next.”
I am Michel Lafleur, photographer and founder of the publishing house Éditions Révolues. Originally from an Alpine village and passionate about urban planning and geography, my photographic work in recent years has been inspired by this triptych.
© Pictures by Michel Lafleur / Text by Sylvain Grisot
