Moving through suspended landscapes, Florence Cuschieri encounters the wandering exiles. In the forests of the Alps, they inscribe their trajectory.

Florence Cuschieri captures these traveled paths, where tangible wandering dissolves into the silence of the surroundings. The mountain, the forest, the fir trees—each becomes a vessel cradling vulnerable exiled bodies who have found refuge at Chez Marcel, a self-managed space in the French Hautes-Alpes near Briançon. The land she photographs appears suspended in a state of latency, echoing the waiting of those who tread upon it. Their footsteps carve circles into the ground, mirroring the swirling flight of swallows.

This book won the 10th edition of the LUMA Rencontres Dummy Book Award Arles in 2024. Its publication was made possible by the award’s founders, Les Rencontres d’Arles & the LUMA Arles. Chose Commune will donate part of the proceeds from this book to support the work carried out by Chez Marcel, the shelter that opened its doors to Florence Cuschieri, enabling her to produce this work.