Veronik 003

Giving instructions to my latest model in a mixture of English and French....

My visit to Switzerland was the result of a cordial invitation for a reunion with a group of friends who all lived in the area just above Montreux when I made their acquaintance. It really all started on a roasting hot summer day near Lac de Lussy. My water bottle was empty and there was this rather derelict looking farmhouse at the foot of the slope. Knock knock.... Nobody answered but the sound of wild music rhapsodies came from inside. Live music, for sure. So I opened the door and landed in a living room reminiscent of famous paintings by Hieronymus Bosch (b. 1450 - d. 1516). Tapestries on the walls and a young hippie couple, totally immersed in the music they were playing. The young man was playing guitar in a style never heard before or after. The young woman accompanied him on fiddle and flute. A toddler in a nappy was walking around, apparently well used to the music. There was no end to the rhapsody. Endless improvisation. Both musicians kept their eyes closed. Finally, the man saw me and without interruption of his music, he nodded towards an empty place on a couch so I sat down. A mandolin was lying next to me on the couch so why not join them quietly? The new trio continued another five minutes and then all of a sudden, the music came to a halt. I introduced myself and was treated with a large mug of tea. The man was called Angelo Lacroix and the name of his young wife was Isabelle. Their child was called Hieronyme after the famous Dutch painter. Many visits to the farmhouse followed whenever my field work allowed it. A month later, I was admitted to the regional hospital in Chatel St. Denis - a double sinusitis and a double bronchitis. And it was there that I made the acquaintance of four young nurses. One of them knew Angelo and Isabelle and they told her about a young Dutch musician who seemed to have disappeared. She heard about a young Dutchman admitted to their hospital and that's what started it off. The four nurses soon became my "Sisters of Mercy", helping me out whenever I needed cheap accommodation in the area. In the words of Leonard Cohen, "Oh I hope you will run into them, you who have traveled so long" and "We weren't lovers like that and besides, it would still be alright". But let's go back to the photo shoot....