ILONA RUEGG
ART & TERRITORY
Born in 1959 in Rapperswil, Switzerland
Period of residence: September to October 2023
I believe there is a need for new tools of awareness and action in a future world of life in which we still have to grow up.
I favour objects, materials and processes with which humans have a long-standing relationship and which, consciously or unconsciously, have a place in their memory. Things can be taken out of their original context and function, reformed loosely and thus form new possibilities. I put my trust in man-made objects and use them or their parts, without value judgement, in a new economy that reveals their inherent potential.
Project: I want to photographically explore the material world of the neighbourhood in extreme proximity, to the point where it is no longer recognisable and begins to speak of potential spaces. The subjects could be significant points, either of the new demolition and construction activities, or of the structures of the old neighbourhood that are about to disappear. As you zoom in, other aspects of the subject may become important, which are not subject to solidity and gravity. A part of reality and matter suddenly becomes free of scale. Confronting the public in the neighbourhood in this way opens the way to new interpretations of the problem of disappearance. – The emergence of new spaces and contexts becomes more important.
2.) I suppose I could also approach the Unseen in another way, by looking for a gaze that doesn’t see enough. At night, the structures of building sites, buildings to be demolished or neighbourhoods that are disappearing appear very differently. When you can’t see in detail, you start to interpret, each in their own way. Some things
can be revealed that aren’t really there, but that are in the archives of personal or collective memory, or that come from the arsenal of repressed desires. These revelations can be a powerful topic of conversation. In the dark, a strangeness that cannot be revealed becomes disquieting. Putting up with such a feeling can open up new, previously unrecognised perspectives.
3.) Another possible approach is to model the subjects found in paragraph 1. Normally, models are created before something is achieved, in order to have a representation of what is not yet or an idea of what it could be. In this case, they would be ephemeral models of disappearance or transformation. With a certain number of these models, it would be possible to create a model for a new virtual district, which would however be based on concrete facts recorded on the ground. This model could serve as a metaphorical counter-project that would provoke discussion.
These comments were made without my having had the opportunity to visit the site and personally experience the situation in this transitional phase. If I were to have the opportunity to contribute to the Art et Territoire project, a personal day-to-day experience in the PAV neighbourhood would be essential, and above all the opportunity to meet the residents and small businesses. All this would influence the form of the work.
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