05 September 2024

Obituary Hans Danuser

It is with great sadness that we learned about the death of our founding member Hans Danuser. He was considered a pioneer of contemporary photography in Switzerland since the 1980s, achieving international recognition with his In Vivo cycle. Throughout his career, he engaged in several transdisciplinary projects that explored connections between the arts and sciences. 

His scientific approach to art, or artistic understanding of science, was of great inspiration to us. A brilliant example of the power of interdisciplinarity our organisation strives to mobilise. Hans Danuser didn’t just create, he questioned and reinvented methods.  

Some years ago, we held a conference to explore how science and art can benefit from each other. Obviously, Hans Danuser was our ideal guest. He generously agreed to play the lead role and we were honoured. As ‘Daylight Academy’, we are naturally interested in light and, judiciously, he suggested speaking about shadows – as paradoxically one of the most visible manifestations of light. He had explored the daylight-shadow duality through a series of sculptures that captivated the audience. Representing the shadow volume of everyday objects, these ‘Shadow Sculptures’ succeed in freezing and materialising a phenomenon that is by nature moving and elusive. A poetic moment that will live long in our memories.  

We are grateful for the time we were able to share with him. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues. 

The DLA Steering Committee & team