-A cloud of books, uniting selections by 19 publishers, designers and collectors from Switzerland
An exhibition proposal by Philippe Egger and Roland Früh
Just what is it that makes certain books so different, so appealing?
Books are as individual as their readers. They have charisma, or don't. They provoke our interest, or they don't. They can stand for themselves and they may build strong networks through their contents or their origins and backgrounds.
With this exhibition we wish to offer a suggestion of what such a network of books from Switzerland, a 'Swiss book landscape' could look like. We present a group of books, specifically selected by Swiss publishers, collectors, designers – genuine book enthusiasts. They all agreed to suggest a short list which tells something about their personal fascination for books. On the background of their expertise and affection for printed matter, their selections also transport a representation of their work in specific fields such as photography, typography, architecture, artists books and so forth. Yet on the wall they tie connections, they move closer together and form one book cloud – maybe also as a metaphor for the situation in Switzerland, where the printed book still enjoys a lot of support and profits from an enriching climate that allows the formation of a dense, lively book landscape, including occasional clouds and thunderstorms.
With contributions by:
Dino Simonett, Benjamin Sommerhalder, Aaron Fabian, Patrick Frey, Alex Schauwecker, Winfried Heininger, Georg Rutishauser, Izet Sheshivari, Urs Lehni, Lars Müller, Flurina and Gianni Paravicini, Géraldine Beck, Christoph Schifferli, Hans Rudolf Gabathuler, Parkett Editions, Géraldine Tedder, Kunsthalle Bern, Philip Ursprung, NORM, Marie Lusa