C'est Montagne, C'est Moi

2012
First edition
Very good copy
22 × 24 cm
176 pages
Japanese binding, softcover

Texts by Xavier Canonne and Witho Worms
(Dutch, French, German, English and Polish)
Design: Hans Gremmen

Printed entirely on black paper, with 2 × white, cyan, magenta and yellow inks

Cette montagne c’est moi is about me. Translated literally, it means “This mountain that’s me”. It was initially an association of image and meaning that led to the subject matter. The carbon in coal is the same carbon referred to in carbon printing. Carbon printing is a photographic printing process that is excellently suited for reproducing dark tones.

For this project, I developed a variation on the carbon printing process, a photographic printing technique from the 19th century. I took a piece of coal from every mountain I photographed. I then ground this coal into a pigment that I used to create photographic paper. This paper was then used to make a print of the mountain from which the coal originated. In other words, the object of the photograph — the mountain — has become one with the subject of the photograph — the print itself.

— Witho Worms

Golden Medal Schönste Bücher aus aller Welt
De Best Verzorgde Boeken 2012
Shortlist First Book Award: Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards 2012
Best Photobooks 2012: Volkskrant
Favourite Photobooks of 2012 by ICP Library
Best Books of 2012 by Photo-Eye