Posted on
2016-06-20
A FIVE-KILOMETER MASTERPIECE
Swatch and Tobias Rehberger build a bridge between art and design with the “24 Stops” trail – and prove that borders are often in the mind.
From June 2016, art walks its talk via a new pedestrian route connecting Basel’s Fondation Beyeler in Switzerland with the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany, presented by Swatch. Mapping out the five-kilometer cross-border walking trail are 24 sculptural objects by the internationally known German artist, Tobias Rehberger. Each one of the colorful “waymarkers” complements its essential navigational duty with food for thought on the interplay of form and function. This is another spectacular milestone in the long Swatch track-record of facilitating art without borders, from art in the streets to art on wrists all over the world. An open mind is the only passport required by individuals of all ages to share in this unique encounter between art, design and nature. And just as the trail is not exactly as the crow flies, the Swatch Art Special it has inspired has taken time into its own hands. CUCKOOLUS by Tobias Rehberger confirms the project’s credo that limits of time and place are frequently products of the imagination.
The way is the goal.
Tobias Rehberger, a multitalented, multidisciplinary artist, who loves to switch between the art and design genres, took functionality as his departure point for “24 Stops”. “The first step was to define the points on the path where orientation guidance was necessary,” he explains. Each one of the portfolio of 24 sculptural objects then explores a different and intriguing ratio of form to function. Suspended birdhouses distill the fun out of function, as the prospect of fly-in guests appears feasible in the imagination and improbable in reality. The versatile artist gives useful items, such as a raised hide, a garbage bin and a telescope, a brightly colored, eye-catching identity to bring memorable pleasure to immediate purpose. Interactivity and inclusivity are the overriding principles of the five-kilometer masterpiece. It invites all ages and walks of life to adopt their own pace and take time to enjoy a unique living collage of sculpture, color and landscape.
Design and retail go cuckoo.
Swatch has always been an active art lover and as presenting partner of “24 Stops” is proud to offer a watch and special packaging as a canvas for Tobias Rehberger’s creativity. The result, CUCKOOLUS, has two hands of the same size, leaving the wearer to contemplate which of the two possible times of day is most likely. This playfully mirrors the theme of the borderless cross-border walk with the notion that it’s realistic to have the upper hand on time. The Swatch Art Special comes in a limited edition of 4,962 pieces, one for each meter of the path’s length.
www.swatch.com
