Timmelsjoch Experience

Project Timmelsjoch Experience Hochgurgl, Austria Architect Werner Tscholl Completion 2010

The Timmelsjoch Experience is a sculptural addition to my series on modern Alpine architecture. It is a collection of six museum-like sculptural stations that span the Timmelsjoch pass. The sculptures at the Timmelsjoch are iconic examples of Alpine architecture. Their fascinating connection to the mountainous environment is unparalleled. Each structure seems to be part of the terrain on which it is located. When arriving from Austria, you reach the sculptures piece by piece, starting at the Steg (jetty). Next, you reach the Smuggler, Transit, Pass Museum, Telescope, and finally the Granat (garnet) sculpture.

As with photographing all alpine architecture, we were at the mercy of the weather. When my assistant and I arrived at the Timmelsjoch, we were met with heavy rain. We used this to our advantage, utilizing the atmosphere that the dramatic sky brought to the images of Steg, Schmuggler, and Fenrohr. The next morning, we started at the blue hour to take some beautiful photos of the Fenrohr.

My biggest concern was the photos of the Pass Museum, which I considered the crown jewel of this project. It stands at the highest point of the Timmelsjoch Pass and was shrouded in a sea of fog.

Pass Museum

An ice-cold night under the stars of the Alps

Originally, I had planned a night shot of the Pass Museum, so my assistant Marcus and I decided to sleep right next to the museum, getting up every now and then to assess the weather and take more shots at the right time (as I had already done for my Arche Nebra project). I waited four hours, trying not to freeze to death in 70 km/h winds and icy 4°C. My desire for the perfect picture of the Pass Museum kept me from giving up. Every half hour, the cloud cover would open for a minute, and I was able to capture the deep night sky of the Alps. The stars seemed endless above the Pass Museum. To keep the building from disappearing into the darkness, I used weatherproof LED lights to accentuate the walls and give the museum a sense of three-dimensionality.

Night shot of modern architecture in the Alps at the Timmelsjoch

Night shot of the Timmelsjoch Experience with mountain panorama

Night shot with starry sky of the Timmelsjoch Pass Museum, architect Werner Tscholl

An atmospheric day at the Pass Museum

After a short night, the sun greeted us through a semi-transparent layer of clouds. The deep rays of the sun bathed the clouds in a deep orange, making the wisps of fog look like lava flows streaming down the mountain. The amount of atmosphere and mood that this created for the photos of the Pass Museum was incredible. The sculpture appears as a mysterious and otherworldly entity shrouded in warm mist. The photographs reveal the strange and mystical nature of the alpine landscape that the Pass Museum calls home.

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Exhibition room of the Timmelsjoch Experience

Drone shot of Timmelsjoch Pass Museum in fog

Architectural photograph of the Timmelsjoch Pass Museum at sunrise in the fog

Transit

Welcome to the Transit sculpture

After the photos of the Pass Museum were finished, we continued on to the Transit building. The dense, luminous fog was still present, enveloping the building in the same fire-like mist. The weather helped me to portray the Transit as an inviting shelter for travelers. Because the fog obscures much of the surrounding landscape, the photographs feel close and intimate. Our attention rests on the shape of the building.

Close-up of the Timmelsjoch Experience entrance door

Exterior shot of the entrance area of the Timmelsjoch Experience

Shot of the entrance of the Timmelsjoch Experience with visitors

Line and Form

My photos of the Transit as part of the Timmelsjoch Experience feel calm and warm. The monochrome color palette supports this mood. The viewer's eye is not distracted by superfluous information, but can rest on the lines and forms of this structure. Context such as the rock ledges and the glistening of the road are still present without being overwhelming.

Shot of the Alpine pass road Timmelsjoch Experience in the fog

Cropped image of the Transit Museum roof in the Alps

Wide-angle shot of the Timmelsjoch in fog with visitors

Close-up of illuminated lettering Timmelsjoch Experience Alps

Detail of the arcade at the Transit Museum in the Alps

Photo of the Transit Museum and pass road at the Timmelsjoch Experience

Interior photography of the entrance area of the Timmelsjoch Experience at sunrise

Interior of the Timmelsjoch Experience Museum

Garnet

Photographing the Garnet Sculpture

The Garnet building is a little different from the other buildings of the Timmelsjoch Experience. It consists of two buildings, both modeled after garnets. The exhibition space appears as a natural, uncut geological garnet. The other cube appears more abstract. It is a polished garnet jewel that directs the visitor's gaze to the Passeier Valley and the Moos. My goal was to show how the Garnet hovers above the valley while connecting visitors to the earth.

Architectural photo of Granat Timmelsjoch Alps with visitors

Interior shot of the Granat Museum Alps Timmelsjoch Experience

Cropped image of Granat Timmelsjoch with Alpine panorama

Steg (Footbridge)

Bad weather at the Steg (Footbridge)

At the beginning of this journey, I mentioned that we encountered a lot of rain on our first day photographing the Timmelsjoch Experience. We used the bad weather to establish the dramatic sky as a backdrop for the Steg sculpture. The Steg is located right next to the Timmelsjoch Crosspoint, which houses the Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum. The Steg seems to playfully mimic the shape of the Crosspoint and juts out over the landscape. The Steg allows visitors to overlook the Ötztal mountains. I was thrilled to be able to present this station and its relationship to the beautiful peaks and valleys behind it.

Shot of the entrance area of the Timmelsjoch Museum in Austria by architect Werner Tscholl

Timmelsjoch Experience, Steg Detail Section

Frontal View of the Timmelsjoch Experience During Inclement Weather

Smuggler

Depiction of the Smuggler

Following the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road further through the fog, you come to a peculiar sculpture. The Smuggler is a cube-shaped structure that can be entered through a human-shaped cut-out. Inside the structure, you can learn more about the dangers smugglers faced when transporting contraband through the alpine landscape. My goal with these images was to depict the cube itself in the harsh landscape. The steep, rocky mountainside shrouded in dense fog contributed to this idea.

Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road Architecture with Motorcyclists

Timmelsjoch Experience Shot with Fog and Mountain Panorama

Smuggler, Timmelsjoch Experience, Museum, High Alpine Road, Architect Werner Tscholl, Tyrol, Ötztal Alps

Timmelsjoch Experience, Smuggler exhibit with Alpine Mountain Panorama

Telescope

Atmosphere and Context

The Telescope station was also wonderfully photographed in the bad weather. The "telescope" offers a wide view of glaciers, valleys and breathtaking mountains. I loved documenting this structure with a lot of context and showing the two buildings perched on a ridge of the mountainside. The cloudy sky behind the structure creates an emphasis on the buildings and directs our attention to the shape of the sculptures.

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Timmelsjoch Experience Telescope with Mountain Climber in the Alps

Telescope, Timmelsjoch Experience, High Alpine Road, Architect Werner Tscholl, Stubai Alps, Moos in Passeier, Italy

Telescope, Timmelsjoch Experience Museum, High Alpine Road, Architect Werner Tscholl, Timmel, South Tyrol, Moos in Passeier

Silhouettes for emphasis

Once at the Telescope, attention is focused on only one thing: the view. Darkening the structure in these photographs frames the panoramic view of the Texelgruppe Nature Park and the Passeier Valley. This reductive approach to architectural photography helps to accurately express the purpose and intention of the structure. We perceive the structure without being overwhelmed by it. The photographs allow us to experience the Telescope without having to be present ourselves.

Timmelsjoch Experience Telescope at Dusk in the Stubai Alps

Detail of the Timmelsjoch Experience Museum

View of the Stubai Alps and Ötztal Alps Through a Telescope

Chamois in the Timmelsjoch Museum, South Tyrol, Italy, High Alpine Road

Visitors in the Timmelsjoch Museum on the High Alpine Road in South Tyrol, Italy, Alps, Modern Architecture

A rewarding experience like no other

Photographing all six stations of the Timmelsjoch Experience was an adventure like no other. At the mercy of the weather, my assistant Marcus and I drove along the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road to make efficient use of our time and photograph each sculpture in the way it was best represented. We slept in freezing cold, spent long days and nights climbing the rugged cliffs, and lugged heavy camera equipment around to make this project possible with a series of photographs that I love very much.