MIL OSI Translation. Government of the Republic of France statements from French to English –
Source: Switzerland – Department of Foreign Affairs in French
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research
Dübendorf, St. Gallen and Thun, 02.09.2024 – On the Empa and Eawag campus in Dübendorf, artist Julian Charrière has created an installation with erratic blocks of different origins, sizes and compositions. The stones are connected by metal wedges that penetrate the asphalt and extend above the erratic blocks – thus symbolizing the long path from research to application.
Erratic boulders have something mystical about them. They fascinate just by their presence, often alone or in groups in the middle of a landscape. This is why these sites have often been considered places of worship or are popular excursion destinations. Today, the work of the internationally renowned artist Julian Charrière, installed on the new campus of Empa and Eawag, invites us to explore such pieces of rock, which have travelled long distances as a result of advancing glaciers. With “Not to Get Lost”, Julian Charrière has created an ornamental installation consisting of eight erratic boulders for the square between NEST and the new Empa laboratory building.
Found objects
The massive installation is connected by a series of metal wedges that form a line running across the stones. According to the artist, this geological chain of points refers to the history of stone cutting and quarrying as well as to the myth and scientific mystery that once surrounded these migrating minerals. What was once perceived as a mysterious and religious movement has since given way to the glaciological, geological and mineralogical insights of research. “The connected blocks of rock in the installation thus serve as an interface between nature, culture and technology. Whether it is art that sketches visions or science that maps reality: Both begin by drawing a line,” explains Julian Charrière. Similarly, scientific projects do not always develop in a linear manner, but often have to take winding paths strewn with obstacles – such as the metal wedges in “Not to Get Lost”.
“With this work, Empa and Eawag want to send an impulse in the form of a wink to their researchers – to take the path of science, which can sometimes lead through ‘rocky terrain’, with a little lightness and embrace the playful flow of this installation,” explains curator Friederike Schmid, who accompanied the process. “In addition, stonemasonry is one of the primitive crafts – opening something up, as you can do with these wedges, serves the purpose of research and the idea of gaining knowledge from the inside.” According to him, the fact that Charrière’s installation offers these and other interpretations is a strength of his work. Public works should reach out to people on different levels and always offer space for further discoveries and interpretations.
A place of character
The installation “Not to Get Lost” emerged as the winner in an invitational competition against five submitted projects. According to Kevin Olas, Head of Real Estate at Empa, the jury unanimously selected Julian Charrière’s project because it creates a dramaturgy and connects the campus by representing the long path from research to application. It occupies the space between the existing and new buildings with an ornamental installation. “The artwork gives the square character. It creates strong contrasts between the buildings, which, in contrast to the brutal erratic blocks, have a highly technical character – and thus creates a tension that encourages visitors and employees to make the most diverse associations.” Friederike Schmid adds: “At first glance, it looks like a giant’s garden, playfully thrown in as an archaic counterpoint to the urban architecture.”
From a logistical point of view, the art project proved to be quite demanding, because the eight stones found come from all over Switzerland – one of them was even taken from the new buildings of the new campus. The lightest stone weighs one ton, the heaviest 20 tons. They had to be collected from St. Gallen, Bern and Uri to Ticino and transported to a stonemasonry company, where they were first scanned and then mechanically prepared for stone laying. The erratic blocks were recently precisely placed on site in Dübendorf using a crane under the coordination of the artist. They are now waiting to be explored.
Artist Julian CharrièreJulian Charrière was born in 1987 in Morges, in the canton of Vaud, and lives in Berlin. He studied art at the École cantonale d’art du Valais before moving to Germany to complete his degree with the internationally renowned artist Olafur Eliasson at the Berlin University of the Arts. Julian Charrière is closely interested in scientific themes on an ecological, universal and anthropological level. He combines environmental science with cultural history and his projects often result from field research in remote locations such as volcanoes, ice fields or radioactive test sites. With his work “Not to Get Lost”, Empa in Dübendorf can reconnect with important works, such as those installed in St. Gallen by Roman Signer or Jürg Altherr.
Address for sending questions
Kevin OlasHead of Real Estate ServicesEmpa, Real Estate ServicesTel. 41 58 765 41 64kevin.olas@empa.ch
Friederike SchmidCommunication by Art GmbHTel. 41 79 501 16 31f.schmid@combyart.ch
Author
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Researchhttp://www.empa.ch
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.
