Tomorrow Dawn
Tomorrow Dawn
2021
In the autumn of 2020, the self-proclaimed first Zone to Defend - ZAD - in Switzerland was established by dozens of men and women on Mormont Hill in Éclépens. The Zadists had decided to settle on the Plateau de la Birette in order to protest against the expansion of the cement quarry of the Franco-Swiss multinational LafargeHolcim on the Vaud site. The ZAD de la Colline was born, creating support in Switzerland and abroad, in reaction to the possible destruction of a hill with a unique biodiversity and a major Celtic archaeological site. The company, a world leader in its industry, is threatening to destroy Mormont Hill in order to supply the cement industry - one of the most polluting in the world - for only eight years. Although illegal, the number of Zones to Defend has been increasing for several decades across Europe, provoking debate beyond their respective limits, whether through the cause that is supported, the values that are defended there or through their evacuation, which is generally spectacular. Their principle consists of the appropriation of land by individuals using civil disobedience in order to protect it, generally for environmental and anti-capitalist reasons. The Zadists demand not only the abandonment of the quarry expansion project, but a radical change in the system in which we live and its paradigm. They call into question the functioning of every part of our society today, due to the climatic, social and economic crisis that awaits us in the years to come. They claim the right to live freely and sustainably, with the will to create a new society based on equality, solidarity and sharing. Despite their ideals with strong humanist values, these citizens were forcibly evicted by the authorities through an expulsion, which began at dawn 30 March 2021 with an impressive show of force, and will be prosecuted by the courts. Documenting this historic day in Switzerland, the corpus of images that make up Demain l’Aube (Tomorrow Dawn) is meant to bear witness to a unique event that condenses some of the tensions that are present in our current society. Almost cinematographic images illustrate this day when time seems to have stood still and are combined with objects found there, such as the archaeological remains of a world which, perhaps, is on the verge of ruin. Publication available at Librairie Basta, La Ferme des Tilleuls or via Léonard Rossi.
