z‘Alp

Synopsis

In z’Alp, Thomas Rickenmann interweaves majestic landscapes of the Swiss alps, overland travel as animals and their minders move together uphill, and the intimate spaces of family life. He shifts seamlessly among these elements to impart an experience of annual treks from valley to mountain that have been playing out for centuries in Switzerland. Each year, farmers shift their livestock to fields at higher elevations, following the spring as it rolls up moun- tainsides and thus allowing the lower fields to regrow in time for the livestock’s autumn return.