Beat Schlatter—Rock'n'Roll Hinterland

All across Switzerland, in smaller towns like Schaffhausen or Biel as well as in larger villages such as Altdorf or Buchs, there are local public theatres, restaurants with a stage, or multi-purpose halls. These places are second home to Beat Schlatter, actor-comedian, playwright, and the person behind one of Switzerland’s most famous faces. For some thirty years, he has travelled Switzerland in every direction to perform his own programs and to appear in shows, and he has rested, changed, and made-up his face in hundreds of these venues that offer some variety of a back-stage.

When on tour, Schlatter takes photographs of these usually dull transitional spaces where celebrities and local stars and starlets await their appearance. This new book, featuring around 300 of Schlatter’s images, is a testimonial of the moderate tristesse and the well-intended fruit bowl inherent to all these spaces, no matter how conventional or hilariously extravagant they may seem.