Switzerland Design for Life

A new exhibition opening at London’s A Foundation on June 19th will showcase the often-overlooked influence of Swiss graphic, urban, and interior designers of the last 100 years.  The exhibition is a celebration and an examination of Swiss design on international urban cultures.  Featured are rising Swiss stars, influenced by their rich design history while creating designs for the future.

The exhibition titled ‘Switzerland Design for Life” highlights 12 young and talented designers- Laurent Benner, Alex Bettler, Kueng Caputo, Zak Kyes, Jurg Lehni, Urs Lehni & Lex Trub, Loris & Livia, Elena Rendina and Regis Tosetti, who work in design fields ranging from furniture to books.  Curated by Vanessa Norwood, Head of Exhibitions at the AA Exhibitions Department, the designers are all Swiss natives, many now living and working in London.  This raised a question central to the exhibition – the mindset of a designer versus his geographical location.  The designers will tackle contemporary issues including the environment, sustainability and global economics.

“Switzerland Design for Life” will also focus on the history of Swiss design, highlighting pivotal points in Swiss poster art.  Switzerland has a rich history of poster art, with more poster ‘masterpieces’ coming from Switzerland than from any other country.  The first modern poster, the Matterhorn from Emil Cardinaux, will be on exhibited.  This poster is an iconic piece of design history.  Created in 1908, it amazed the public with its  bold colours and simplicity, starting a tradition of destination posters for Switzerland.  Vintage posters have been curated by Zurich-based Artifiche.  In addition to the bold vintage works, 10 Swiss graphic designers will present contemporary poster ideas in collaboration with ID Pure magazine.

Not to be missed is the bookshop, which in addition to magazines, lithographs, and books relevant to the exhibition, will have a newly designed Victorinox Swiss Army Knife available for purchase.  The vernissage will be held on the 18th of June, after a panel discussion on Max Bill, one of the most influential figures in the history of Swiss architecture, art, and design.  The exhibition is open from June 19th to July 1st, 2010.

If you want to experience some new Swiss design personally, you should check out White Lines’s two Swiss hotels.  In Zurich you’ll find the post-modern Greulich Hotel, designed by locally based architects Romero & Schaefle.  In Basel you can experience Krafft.  The exterior of Krafft was designed Basel-based Barbara Buser and the internal spaces were created by Ursula Staub-Feller.

Need a place to hole up while in London? Check out the Town Hall Hotel & Apartments in Bethnal Green.  It’s a stones throw away from the A Foundation venue.

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Categories: London, Design

Contributing writer: Alicia Reuter