At a time when every nation seems to be showing off its cultural cards on an international platform, it would seem that Switzerland has also joined the ranks with an exhibition of Swiss graphic, product, and urban designers.
SWITZERLAND: DESIGN FOR LIFE, 19th June-1st July 2010
A FOUNDATION
Rochelle School & Club Row, Arnold Circus, London E2 7ES (020 7033 3539)
The exhibition is divided into two parts that ultimately complement each other.
Part one – Contemporary Swiss Design:
This part celebrates the work of a new generation of Swiss designers living and working in London. It features the work of twelve of Switzerland’s most talented young designers: Laurent Benner, Alex Bettler, Kueng Caputo, Zak Kyes, Jurg Lehni, Urs Lehni & Lex Trub, Loris & Livia, Elena Rendina and Regis Tosetti. These designers produce innovative, fresh ways of working, creating projects that move across disciplines; by making furniture, designing books and organizing events.
The exhibition is curated by Vanessa Norwood, Head of Exhibitions with the AA Exhibitions Department.
Part two – Reinventing An Image:
There are more 20th century poster masterpieces from Switzerland than any other country, the reasons for which lie mainly in a vigorous national program to promote the poster and its printers; and a series of great teachers who advanced the art of the poster. The Swiss poster though had its roots in the travel poster.
The Swiss have continued to create beautiful illustrated posters for their tourism industry and the exhibition displays a range of the most influential and striking. The vintage posters have been put together by Artifiche, a Zürich based Poster Gallery which has become the leading poster gallery in Switzerland. It’s huge collection features Swiss and international vintage posters over the past 100 years.
Ten Swiss graphic designers, curated alongside ID Pure, a Swiss magazine of graphic design and visual creation, are presenting their contemporary interpretation of a Swiss travel poster for today. These designers from various Swiss cities include: Buro Destruct, Nerves, Bureau Collective, Stefan Jost, ID Pure studio, Super Position, Grotesk and GVA Studio. How do they portray Switzerland and what images do they use now ? Do they choose to avoid clichés or embrace them ? The new works are exhibited alongside the original posters.
There is also a bookshop where books containing Swiss design and designers, lithographs, magazines and a newly-designed Victorinox Swiss Army Knife are on display and available to buy.
Tags A Foundation | Arnold Circus | Shoreditch | Switzerland: Design for Life
