The invisible ghost in the machine

Electricity — A presentation for students at the High Voltage Laboratory of the Zurich Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ). Marc Renaud

Kühlturm — The cooling tower of the Gösgen nuclear plant in Däniken. Marc Renaud

Trafo — A transformer in Köniz near the Swiss capital of Bern. Marc Renaud

Flüsschen — The glacial melt stream Borgne d'Arolla in southwestern Switzerland. Marc Renaud

Masten — An electric pylon in Inden in western Switzerland. Marc Renaud

turbinenhaus — Turbine casing of the decommissioned Chavalon thermal power station in Vouvry, western Switzerland. Marc Renaud

Betonwand — Cooling tower of the Gösgen nuclear plant in Däniken. Marc Renaud

Staumauer — The Vieux-Emosson dam wall in Finhaut, western Switzerland. Marc Renaud

Steuerpult — The control panel of a simulator of the Beznau nuclear plant. Marc Renaud

Zugang zum Stollen — The Fionnay-Péroua inspection tunnel for the Grand-Dixence hydropower station in Nendaz, western Switzerland. Marc Renaud

Solartechnologie — A parabolic mirror solar collector at the Institute for Solar Technology in Rapperswil-Jona, eastern Switzerland. Marc Renaud

Tür mit Blitz — Electric transformer in Bevaix, western Switzerland. Marc Renaud

Rohre — The Fieschertal hydroelectric plant in western Switzerland. Marc Renaud

traces — Coal for the Rheinhafen thermal power plant in Karlsruhe, Germany. Marc Renaud

Gate to Reactor — Fission material containment area at the Gösgen nuclear plant in Däniken. Marc Renaud

Stollen — Fionnay-Péroua access tunnel at the Grande-Dixence hydropower plant in Nendaz, western Switzerland. Marc Renaud

High Voltage Laboratory at the Zurich Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ). Marc Renaud

Artist Marc Renaud attempts to capture the indispensable but invisible force that powers civilization.

This content was published on August 10, 2019 - 11:00

As a photo editor I am responsible for the editorial use of photography at SWI swissinfo.ch and our collaborations with photographers. When the opportunity arises, I take a camera and accompany one of our journalists. I trained as a photographer in Zürich and began working as a photojournalist in 1989. I was a founder of the Swiss photographers' agency Lookat Photos in 1990. A two-time World Press Award winner, I have also been awarded several Swiss national scholarships. My work has been widely exhibited and it is represented in various collections.

Marc Renaud (images) and Thomas Kern (text)

Show the invisible. This is the challenge that Renaud has set himself in his new photographic book “No Blackout”External link. The images attempt to showcase a force that is present in almost all our activities today: electricity. It surrounds us all the time and everywhere. Without it the trains come to a halt, supermarket checkouts shut down and the chargers on our smartphones no longer work. A rare blackout gives us a hint of how dependent we are on electricity.

Renaud’s images often capture objects that seem heavy, static and immutable. Yet it is this invisible and elusive current that heats our shower water, cools the beer in the fridge and allows us to read this article. The artist makes the most of this paradox between the bulk of the power installations and the ethereal quality of electricity.

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