After visiting Saas-Fee as a tourist for many decades, Boris Ackermann has decided to live permanently in the Swiss Alps. Boris had been a regular guest in the Saas Valley for over 20 years and felt at home here long before his move. Three years ago, he moved to the mountains for good. “Life in the big city changed a lot during the corona pandemic. That was when my wife and I really decided that we wanted to move to the mountains, even though the idea had been in our minds for some time,” says Boris. Boris has always been passionate about photography. Through his love of nature, he discovered that he has a passion for capturing unique moments. Travelling alone in the wilderness of Saas-Fee, he was particularly fascinated by the wildlife, which he could often observe at close quarters. This inspiration which he finds every day in the mountains is almost inexhaustible, thanks to the synergy of the weather, glaciers and light.

This year, Boris is devoting himself to a special project: an exhibition in his gallery about the old Metro Alpin, the highest underground funicular railway in the world and a technological masterpiece that has since been replaced by a more modern version. Boris remembers how the Metro Alpin caused an international sensation back then:  “1984 was a cool time! The Metro was a masterpiece of technology and I can still remember how impressed I was when I saw it for the first time in 1997. The funicular certainly caused a stir worldwide, even though there was no internet in those days,” says Boris. “It was a masterstroke to bore a tunnel through the mountain at this height, in what was still a very icy environment at the time and, with millimetre precision, to install an underground railway which has been running continuously for 40 years,” Boris continues.

When he heard about the plans to dismantle it, he came up with the idea of creating works of art from the old railway sections. He contacted the Cable Car company to find out the timescale of the dismantling procedure, and so the vision of giving the historic parts of the Metro Alpin a new lease of life was born. He explains that he inherited his appreciation for old things from his father, who had a passion for historic cars, and he himself also wanted to take the opportunity of honouring this unique pioneering achievement.

Boris recruited the artist Urs Supersaxo to realise his vision. When asked if he was interested in an unusual project, Urs immediately said yes, and the two began planning. The task was a challenge right from the start because they were working with a dismantled carriage that was ready for the scrap yard. But working together, the two gradually developed a concept for transforming the railway parts into art objects. Boris found the creative collaboration with Urs and working together to solve the challenges that arose when they were preparing the parts for the gallery particularly fulfilling.

The exhibition, which opens in the gallery on 8 December, shows around 20 exhibits that Boris and Urs have created from original parts of the old Metro. Visitors can look forward to wall installations and memorabilia that reflect the aesthetics and dynamics of the railway. Boris is especially proud of two large sculptures designed by Urs, which evoke the energy and strength required to dismantle and transport the railway parts down into the valley. Alongside these sculptures, limited edition photographs of the Metro shortly before its last journey are displayed. The exhibition has a high recognition value because the original design of the railway from the 1980s has been incorporated. Boris particularly enjoys designing mementos that are functional as well as decorative. Unfortunately, it was not possible to save the entire carriages. That would have made little sense. The challenges included separating out the metal sheets, cutting them to size, and preparing them. “We have tried to preserve the dynamics of the railway in the tunnel in some of the exhibits and otherwise focus on the aesthetic aspects. 40 years ago, the „designers“ of the railway were intensively concerned with aesthetics. We benefit from this. Fortunately, the railway hasn’t become a grey box, but has a high recognition value,” explains Boris.

After the end of the exhibition, Boris will devote himself to his regular work in the gallery, where he will continue to exhibit his best animal and landscape photographs as individual pieces. He has plenty of ideas for future projects, even if they still need to mature. Transforming technical relics into art could inspire him again in the future, provided there is a strong topic of interest. Boris considers that he is “just starting out” in photography and still wants to develop artistically. He still has many pictures that he wants to realise, and he hopes that he will be able to do this for a long time to come.

Boris is especially grateful to Saastal Bergbahnen, without whose support the project would not have been possible. The exhibition will be on display in the gallery in Saas-Fee from 8 December to 2 January where visitors can experience a journey through the history of Metro Alpin – in a new artistic guise.