Simon Boudvin, Col de l’échelle, 2018

Between the Aiguille Rouge and the Rochers de la Sueur, on the Franco-Italian border of the narrow valley, to cross the difficult passage called Le Mauvais Pas, there was a ladder. It had been built there to facilitate access to this point where the Alps force you to walk vertically. Alternate to the new road, the path is still as steep. A staircase now replaces the old ladder and preserves the accessible strait. Today, in the valleys of the Durance and Clarée, on the way from Bardonecchia to Embrun, everyone has a ladder. It is found in every house, barn, workshop, shed, on the roofs of cars and against trees. It is taken out for daily or seasonal work, sometimes left alone to work. Listed within its decor, it carries by its discretion the diffuse memory of solitary walks.