In his dissertation, Oliver Kerrison examines the aesthetic dimensions of debates surrounding 20th-century alpine infrastructures. The study focuses on unrealised hydroelectric power plant projects in Switzerland, specifically in Ursern, Rheinwald, and Silsersee-Bergell. The aim is to shed light on conflicts between creating and preserving landscapes with particular attention to their aesthetic dimensions. Thus, the dissertation explores the perception of the Swiss Alps as an idyll to be preserved, a perspective that persists to this day.
Image: Unrealised hydropower plant project in the Ursern Valley, model from around 1944