Werner Blaser

Werner Blaser has created numerous case studies on important buildings, most notably those by Mies van der Rohe, but this is the first book I own and have read by the photographer/author. The book intertwines Blaser's photos and his words – the former are primarily black-and-white (not ideal for this tropical masterpiece by Renzo Piano) and the latter are supplied in German, English and French (New Caledonia is a French territory). I'll admit that the photos do a better job (accompanied by some of Piano's sketches) in contributing to an understanding of the building than the text. This doesn't mean that the photos can stand alone without the words, since the latter describes the rich history of the project, but that Blaser is a much better photographer than writer (possibly he is a good writer and the problem lies in the translation – I don't know for sure). His photographs beautifully capture the buildings in its setting and hone in on important details, while the writing is fractured and a bit obtuse at times. Nevertheless, he is honest regardless of his medium, and his appreciation of this building (one I would love to visit someday) is obvious.… (més)