True-false stories ::the museum as site of interpretation

True-False Stories narrates the peregrinations of five imaginary collectors born in the Valais in the Swiss Alps, through their collections of historical, ethnological and artistic objects. Staged in five museums by artists Øystein Aasan, Paolo Chiasera and the curator Benoît Antille, these invented collections immerse the spectator in the universe of these colourful characters who lived between the 17th century and today. Their destiny sheds light on important aspects of the history of this region which are evoked in their fictional biographies. As for the texts by Swiss writer Noëlle Revaz, they give the characters life and allow the reader to better understand the relationship between them and their objects

Landscape Sculpture Parks in the Valais: Towards a Critique of the Economy of Project Work

Over the past decade, the canton of Valais in the Swiss Alps has witnessed a true craze for site-specific sculptures or installations linked to the landscape. The predominant curatorial model has been the landscape sculpture park. The decision to choose the natural environment as the context for monumental sculptures or installations suggests that a certain idea of “land art” serves as a model for the projects developed in the Valais. This model is seen as a way to develop cultural content in response to the structural changes affecting the rural and mountainous regions. The École Cantonale d’Art du Valais undertook a research project to gain a better understanding of this phenomenon. The project’s conclusions are summarised here. The main goals of this research were to identify the conditions that explain the rising number of art projects in response to territorial issues and to propose a critical analysis based on case studies from the Valais. Three main conditions were identified: an urbanisation process at play in the countryside, the development of managerial cultural policies in line with the concepts of the creative economy and the development of an economy of project work in the art world. In short, the analysis of the case studies from the Valais suggests a link between this economy of project work and the creation and legitimisation of low-stakes cultural “products.

Vraies-fausses histoires ::le musée comme lieu d’interprétation

Vraies-fausses histoires retrace les pérégrinations de cinq collectionneurs imaginaires nés en Valais, dans les Alpes suisses, à travers leurs collections d’objets historiques, ethnologiques et artistiques. Mises en scène dans cinq musées par les artistes Øystein Aasan, Paolo Chiasera et le curateur Benoît Antille, ces collections inventées immergent le spectateur dans l’univers de personnages hauts en couleur ayant vécu entre le XVIe siècle et aujourd’hui. Leur destin met en lumière certains pans de l’histoire de cette région qui sont évoqués dans leur biographie fictive. Cinq textes de l’écrivaine Noëlle Revaz leur donnent vie et chair et placent le lecteur au plus proche de la relation qu’ils entretiennent avec leurs objets

Erfunden-wahre Geschichten ::Deutungsort Museum

Erfunden-wahre Geschichten spürt den Streifzügen von fünf imaginären Sammlerinnen und Sammlern aus dem Wallis in den Schweizer Alpen nach. Als Spuren dienen deren Sammlungen historischer, ethnografischer und künstlerischer Objekte. In Form von Inszenierungen der Künstler Øystein Aasan, Paolo Chiasera sowie von Kurator Benoît Antille lassen diese erfundenen Sammlungen das Publikum an fünf Museumsstandorten in die Welt dieser schillernden Persönlichkeiten eintauchen. Gleichzeitiz wirft deren Schicksal, geschildert in fiktiven Biografien, Schlaglichter auf die Geschichte dieser Region in der Zeit zwischen dem 16. Jahrhundert und heute. Und schliesslich verleihen Texte der Schriftstellerin Noëlle Revaz diesen Persönlichkeiten Fleisch und Blut und setzen sie in Beziehung zu ihren Objekten

Parcs à sculptures en Valais : vers une critique de l’économie de projet

Over the past decade, the canton of Valais in the Swiss Alps has witnessed a true craze for site-specific sculptures or installations linked to the landscape. The predominant curatorial model has been the landscape sculpture park. The decision to choose the natural environment as the context for monumental sculptures or installations suggests that a certain idea of “land art” serves as a model for the projects developed in the Valais. This model is seen as a way to develop cultural content in response to the structural changes affecting the rural and mountainous regions. The École Cantonale d’Art du Valais undertook a research project to gain a better understanding of this phenomenon. The project’s conclusions are summarised here. The main goals of this research were to identify the conditions that explain the rising number of art projects in response to territorial issues and to propose a critical analysis based on case studies from the Valais. Three main conditions were identified: an urbanisation process at play in the countryside, the development of managerial cultural policies in line with the concepts of the creative economy and the development of an economy of project work in the art world. In short, the analysis of the case studies from the Valais suggests a link between this economy of project work and the creation and legitimisation of low-stakes cultural “products.