Swiss Ballroom

"SWISS BALLROOM" is a documentary photography project about the ballroom scene in Switzerland (LGBTQIA+ underground culture created by black people as a reaction to the predominantly white occupied beauty and fashion competitions).

I discovered ballroom a few years ago without getting involved in it, but soon enough, and also as a queer person, I wanted to do something with it. It's after I met Eve, member of the Lausanne collective 4311, which organizes queer balls and parties, that everything developed. After talking with her, I first offered my help as a photographer to document the events. While participating in these events, I realized that this is still a young scene in Switzerland and must not be more than 3 years old. It is much more active since 2021, notably thanks to the 4311 collective and gains members day after day. It is in this effervescence and exchange that the desire to develop a photographic series around this scene and its actors appeared to me as an evidence.