Examples 2023

Myriam Gämperli was born in Bettenau (Canton of St. Gallen) in 1982. Her work draws on the surrealist tradition of arrangement, creating a space that calls hierarchies into question, overcomes gravity and frees bodies of their boundaries. Her video works generally focus on herself as a hybrid being, a blend of subject and object. This sculptural performance enables her to take on multiple identities that extend across the boundaries of nature, gender and conceptions of beauty. The theatre-like sequences are inspired by the artist’s everyday life, shuttling between the urban space of Zurich and the rural nature of Bettenau.

Visual Arts: Myriam Gämperli is the recipient of a promotion grant worth CHF 10,000.

The first recorded mention of the Gasthaus zum Schiff dates back to 1759. The property has been owned by the Laufenberg museum association since 1978, which has restored it and has been running Museum Schiff on the premises since 1981. This town museum focuses on the history of the Upper Frick Valley and the adjoining portions of the Black Forest, with the building and the collection both classed as items of Swiss cultural property of regional significance. After more than 40 years in operation, the museum building and the exhibition are now being modernized and expanded. Similarly, the historic building is in need of work: its lavishly frescoed façade, decorated with an abundance of images, is one of the areas being restored. The reopening is scheduled for 2026.

Heritage Conservation & Archaeology: The UBS Culture Foundation is supporting the restoration of the building with a project grant of CHF 10,000.

The world is getting hotter: every summer sees new records being set, and the increasing frequency of heatwaves poses a real risk for the planet. How does heat impact people? How does it change us? How can we live with it? Heat functions like a magnifying glass, enlarging and reinforcing characteristics, moods and feelings – but also economic and social disparities. In line with the daily routine and temperature curve that provide the rhythm and intensity of «Heat», director Jacqueline Zünd sketches out a panorama of human stories, moods and survival strategies.

Film: The UBS Culture Foundation is supporting Lomotion AG’s production of the documentary with a grant of CHF 30,000.

The Oreille Indiscrète collective focuses on music and sound creation and comprises Geneva-based composer Noémie Favennec-Brun and sound designer Benjamin Favennec (F). Their research sits at the interface between various disciplines and new technologies, and attempts to merge contemporary and popular music with sound, visual imagery and movement. The immersive concert «(S)e(a)scape» was created in conjunction with Basel-based composer Marie Delprat, the Spanish street art collective Reskate Studio, biophysicist Bill François and the underwater acoustic researcher Irène Mopin with the backing of Le Mans University and ENSTA Bretagne. The project hovers between experimental music, electro, street art and science, and aims to raise awareness on the impact of noise pollution on the oceans.

Music: The UBS Culture Foundation is providing Oreille Indiscrète with a project grant of CHF 8000 for the creation and Swiss premiere of «(S)e(a)scape».

Basler Papiermühle researches, preserves and shares the significance and history of the culture relating to books and writing and the techniques via which the relevant objects were made. Its current permanent exhibition was created in 2011, so its content and materials are now showing their age. They are being brought up to date as part of the museum’s realignment, with focus topics being shifted and links to the modern day being created. The permanent exhibition is intended to show how paper and printing techniques have developed up to the present and offer an in-depth exploration of sociohistorical topics linked to craftmaking techniques and the building itself. It will open in early 2026.

Humanities & Cultural Sciences: Basler Papiermühle is receiving a project grant of CHF 15,000 for the overhaul of its permanent exhibition.

The Biennale Son was held for the first time in fall 2023. Its aim is to highlight the growing importance of sound in contemporary art and showcase the diverse array of protagonists that explore this interplay between art and sound. Over the course of six weeks, exhibitions and sound installations, a symposium and more than 20 concerts and performances took place at 18 venues, located between Martigny, Sion and Sierre. More than 70 international artists and musicians were involved, including Alexandre Babel, Anri Sala, Claire Frachebourg, David Horvitz and Deborah-Joyce Holman, Latifa Echakhch, The Young Gods & Musique de Landwehr Fribourg and Christian Marclay.

Priority projects: The UBS Culture Foundation supported the first Biennale Son with a project grant of CHF 30,000.