'The Otherworld' of Anja Tanner

Swiss photographer Anja Tanner has received a SFr 10,000 prize from canton Bern in recognition of her project, The Otherworld. Originally from Lauenen, Tanner now lives in Bern where she is currently taking photos at the Euro 2008 football championships. During the summer months, the 27 year-old returns to her roots and works, notably, at the Menuhin festival, as well as for local architects. She spoke to our sister publication, Anzeiger von Saanen, about her project.

During her studies, Tanner spent over seven years in the UK, and became fascinated by the long-held tradition of storytelling. Moreover, the association of myths and lore to particular places and regions inspired Tanner’s prizewinning project, The Otherworld. On the Isle of Syke in Scotland, she met an elderly storyteller, Seoras Macpherson (left), and began to study the links between various tales and the places where the stories took place. She assembled maps, texts and photos of “storytelling places”, binding the real world to what is unseen. She hopes that her project will be published in book-form, and is seeking more financial support. Her next exhibition, a series of portraits, will take place next autumn in Basel. Click here for more information.