Artist's Residency Launches At The Alpina Gstaad
- ARTISTS, DESIGNERS, AND ARCHITECTS JOIN INAUGURAL SERIES HOSTED BY TO.ORG AT THE ALPINA GSTAAD
- CREATIVE WORKSHOPS WILL TAKE PLACE IN A RARE DEMOUNTABLE HOUSE DESIGNED BY JEAN PROUVÉ IN THE 1940S
This winter season, The Alpina Gstaad has launched its first ever artist's residency, hosted by to.org. Guests of the iconic Swiss hotel will have a unique opportunity to explore works by leading artists from around the world, within a “demountable house” located in the hotel grounds, against the backdrop of the snow-covered Alps.
The temporary timber structure is a creation of the legendary 20th century French architect Jean Prouvé. “Demountable houses” were designed by Prouvé following the devastation of World War II, when many in France were displaced by the conflict. In a post-war collaboration with the French Ministry of Reconstruction and Urban Development, Prouvé designed these temporary homes, which could be transported quickly and erected within a day, to provide shelter for those in need. The setting of this rare and historical house is intended to inspire those involved in the artist's residency.
“The Throne”, a 3D printed portable toilet made using upcycled plastic waste has been installed next to the Prouvé demountable house, providing facilities for visitors to the artist’s residency. This proof of concept portable toilet, which demonstrates a vital use for the inexhaustible resource of plastic waste, is the product of a collaboration between to.org and Nagami.
Throughout the season, Nachson Mimran, Creative Director and Chairman of the Board of The Alpina Gstaad and CEO of to.org, will curate a series of creative workshops. They will explore themes around equalising opportunity and refugee empowerment - missions that are at the core of To:Foundation’s work. Artists from Europe, Africa and the Americas will be encouraged to participate in future iterations, and the local community and guests of The Alpina Gstaad will be invited to interact with these designers and artists and their works.
The first of these creative workshops commenced on 8 December with the renowned Burkinabè architect, Francis Kéré. The lineup of creatives involved in the series includes numerous friends of to.org, such as Smithsonian Institution fellow, and Washington, D.C.-based artist, Victor Ekpuk; US artist and filmmaker, Doug Aitken; award-winning designer Ini Archibong; architect for NASA’s 3D Printed Mars Habitat Challenge and Principal & Head of Design at Hassell, Xavier De Kestelier; Johannesburg-based Serpentine Pavilion architect, Sumayya Vally; Uganda-based Congolese refugee and self-taught architect, Patrick Muvunga; Swiss artist Raphael Hefti; and Rasmus Nielsen of Danish art collective Superflex.
“This artist's residency brings together a selection of the world’s most brilliant minds in art and architecture. As Creative Director of The Alpina Gstaad and CEO of to.org, it is a privilege to launch this artist's residency as a vehicle to devise solutions to vital challenges and drive inspiration. Our aim is to level the playing field and equalise opportunity for all, regardless of where you were born or how much perceived influence you may have. Our work at to.org finds solutions to Earth's most pressing environmental and social challenges, including refugee empowerment. It is important that we all remember talent is equally distributed but opportunity is not.” said Nachson Mimran, Creative Director and Chairman of the Board at The Alpina Gstaad and CEO of to.org.
Further artists and architects participating in the series will be announced in the near future. The series will end in March 2022 when the Jean Prouvé demountable house will be disassembled.
Guests can request to visit the house upon availability during their stay through the hotel concierge. www.thealpinagstaad.ch
