Schwingen is a Swiss national sport; it is a style of folk wrestling executed on sawdust. The best Schwingers are well known in the country, they are sporting celebrities. Traditionally, Schwingen is a male sport although in recent years Women's Schwingen has become more popular. The Frauenschwingverband, or Women's Schwingen Association, was founded in 1992 and is not uncommonly sneered at by conservative Schwingen fans. In her first book the Swiss artist Julia Weber has looked into the world of Women's Schwingen and presents remarkable and impressive photographs of Schwingers during practice. Strong women wrestle each other in sawdust, arms entangled, trying to pin the opponent's shoulders to the ground. Julia Weber's black and white photographs show faces contorted with pain, women concentrated in anticipation of the next move and above all: the amazing dynamic which constitutes this sport.

Softcover | 44 pages | 24 black and white photographs | Swiss brochure