During the last 20 years my focus has gone to cities, urban needs, social diversity and inclusion. Several visits in Switzerland in 2019 and 2020 opened my eyes to the cultural world of cultivation, food production and rural life. Within this project I will address rural culture and take it as a source of inspiration.
The gap between urban and rural culture is becoming wider. While an idealized view of the countryside is common, the reality is that the countryside has rapidly modernized and transformed in a rural-industrialized society. In Monster I visited an orchid grower. The most processes are computerized. The size of the company allows investigating in circular and smart systems. The transformation of the rural industrialization will continue and create policy challenges because of the use of land, materials and energy will increasingly meet new challenges.
But what will happen with the small farms? They are already fighting for their existence. What can I contribute as artist to this topic?
How can I create a conceptual framework that allows to grasp the topic?
An concrete plan will be to build a garden – the hanging garden – at Wanner [433], Emmental.
On the first sight it seemed logical to me to think about biodiversity. But actually, biodiversity has a much broader meaning and is difficult to quantify precisely. It is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is typically a measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level.
How is it possible to transfer the topic into the artistic context? How do I get the topic across to an urban and rural audience?
The situation at the farm Wanner [433] is a kind of microcosm. How is the garden changing over space and time? And what are the consequences of such changes for the immediate surrounding and the people? How is the interaction between humans, animals and plants? And finally, how to make the process visible?
