The École cantonale d'art de Lausanne (ECAL) invited Walter Pfeiffer to run its 2014/15 photography workshop and the result was a selection of images published in
Choli Cholie
, a book produced by the students that also pays tribute to the work of the famous photographer. The title is a reference to a comment Pfeiffer made several times throughout the workshop: “c’est choli” (it’s nice) or "c’est choli choli" (it’s really nice).
Pfeiffer is known for spontaneous portraits of friends, lovers, still life and scenery, and many of the images in
Choli Cholie
are dedicated to his work. Accomplished photographers Ryan McDinley, Terry Richardson, Jeurgen Teller and Wolfgang Tillmans cite Pfeiffer as an inspiration.
ECAL describes Pfeiffer’s workshop as “sensory” because his approach was neither to teach a particular technique nor to develop a particular concept. Instead, he opted to develop the intimate relationship that a photographer may hold with the world.
The images that were not published in
Choli Cholie
have been gathered together in a unique book entitled "Walter said no! But maybe in 10 years".
Choli Cholie
is published by RVB Books, an independent French publisher.
