chönnti juxtaposes Tom Huber’s photographs of a Swiss mountain world staged with flashlight against a grumpy, anti-mountain tourism text by Dominic Oppliger.

The interplay of image and text reflects the authors’ ambivalent relationship with their “Swiss homeland.” On one hand, Huber and Oppliger share a critical and skeptical view of the idealized idyll of “Switzerland.” On the other, they often catch themselves naively believing in this myth—or even actively seeking it. Despite their awareness of the unsettling “Blue Velvet” horror beneath Switzerland’s polished surface, they repeatedly recognize how deeply they embody this Swiss identity themselves.

Through the fusion of imagery, language, and visual design (by A.C. Kupper), the publication creates a compelling tension within its empty spaces. These gaps invite readers to confront and explore their own ambivalences and reflections.

Tom Huber (b.1976) works on independent projects and international commissions in photography, music performance, and composition. His visual language invites viewers into a seemingly real yet absurdly enchanting world. Everyday objects and moments take on a mysterious and unique allure. Huber studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. His book Nguecokh (cpress) won the African Book Prize of the Year in 2022.

Dominic Oppliger (b.1983) lives and works in Zurich as an author, musician, consultant, and workshop leader. Until 2015, he toured and published with various bands while earning a bachelor's degree in social work. He later completed a master’s degree in transdisciplinarity at ZHdK, where he also worked as a research assistant from 2017 to 2023. His second dialect novel, “giftland” (2023, edition spoken script), won the 2024 Swiss Literature Prize from the Federal Office of Culture. In May 2025, his dialect fantasy story “Helsinki” (Der gesunde Menschenversand), co-authored with Vincent Glanzmann, will be published for young audiences.