Woman on ladder paints yellow line
The yellow connection How two young artists are bringing people together with Swiss Post
Swiss Post has been bringing people together for 175 years, and is doing it in a new way with an art project by Agnes Murmann and Nicole Brugger. We asked them what we can expect at the Locarno Film Festival and what role Swiss Post can still play in a world of digital communication.
Swiss Post is committed to film and culture, and has been the official sponsor of the Locarno Film Festival since 2002. What began as a logistics sponsorship is now a broad commitment to culture. In 2024, Swiss Post is supporting an art project by Agnes Murmann and Nicole Brugger, which was created as part of BaseCamp (more information on BaseCamp: https://locarno-festival.post.ch/en/basecamp).
Open for festivalgoers
The BaseCamp pop-up is open and festivalgoers are welcome to drop by. To make the pop-up an inviting place for people to meet, visitors are guided into the Swiss Post space by lines of yellow tape. The yellow line is reminiscent of the floor guides in the letter and parcel centers.
Two spaces – one concept
In the BaseCamp pop-up itself, Agnes Murmann and Nicole Brugger have dedicated the “il Posto” space to Swiss Post, which merges with the neighbouring space housing a picture library, to form a single unit. The spaces are separated, or rather connected, by an open door and a common idea: to highlight the human and cultural value of the guests and visitors through their active participation in workshops, encounters and performances.
The library and “il Posto” space, together with the inner courtyard, are the hubs of artistic life. The library is intended as a space for research, inspiration, reflection and discussion. At “Il Posto” you can sit down, browse through the books in peace and quiet and have inspiring conversations in the lounge.
The library books aim to spark artists’ creativity when designing the postcards in “Il Posto”. After all, postcards not only connect senders and recipients, but also artists and visitors with each other, as many creative ideas are exchanged when designing and looking for inspiration.
Yellow inspiration – upcycling
Furniture made from Swiss Post Dispoboxes, yellow drinks and yellow craft materials are intended to provide artists with the necessary inspiration. But there’s more: the two artists have made cushions for lounging on out of old mail bags. The aim is to invite both visitors and artists to meet and talk to each other as it’s only really when you take the time to relax that genuine encounters can occur – whether in a digital, analogue or physical space.
From 7 to 17 August at the Istituto Sant’Eugenio
Swiss Post connects people, as do culture and art. Agnes Murmann and Nicole Brugger bring these two elements together at the BaseCamp – and impressively showcase how bridges can be built to aid communication – in the digital age, too. Visitors to the Locarno Film Festival are warmly invited to come and see for themselves from 7 to 17 August 2024. The BaseCamp is located in the Istituto Sant’Eugenio on Via al Sasso in Locarno and is only a few steps away from Piazza Grande.
175 years: the history of Swiss Post at the Piazza Grande branch
Since it was founded in 1849, Swiss Post has contributed to a dynamic Switzerland, adapting to society’s changing needs. But how does the general public see Swiss Post today? Young people, for example? In conjunction with the Lucerne School of Design, Film and Art, Swiss Post launched a competition that challenged students studying towards a Bachelor’s degree in graphic design. Swiss Post’s aim was to pique young people’s interest in the Swiss Post of today and to encourage them to share ideas.
The competition gave rise to 23 different designs that show how young people see Swiss Post today. All entries, including the original stamps, will be presented in a travelling exhibition at Swiss Post branches.
Discover the travelling exhibition during BaseCamp at the La Posta branch on Piazza Grande in Locarno.