Across two days of high-caliber conversation, in the rarified air of the Engadin valley, artists and thinkers considered the relationship between form and impact. Koozarch founder Federica Zambeletti found forms of practice which produce both tangible impacts and new imaginaries across the intersections of art and culture.
The mountains of the Engadin valley have long been a source of inspiration for critical thinkers and practitioners alike, inspiriting artists from Giacometti to Jean-Michel Basquiat, philosophers like Nietzsche and star architects like Sir Norman Foster — a longtime regular in the local ski marathon. It is thus no surprise that founder, collector and publisher Cristina Bechtler chose this valley, and specifically the village of Zuoz, as the site of the yearly Engadin Art Talks (E.A.T.) — a forum that aims to explore the interconnections of art, architecture, design, literature and innovation.
From the outdated maxim “form follows function” to a proposal of “form follows impact”, a singular question resonated throughout the weekend: What forms of practice create meaningful impact?
Under the title Form & Impact, this year’s theme resonates with particular urgency, as we are ever-more exposed to the decisions and positions that will form and impact the terrestrial ecosystem for centuries to come. One guest is quick to share how the ubiquitous global presence of radioactive isotopes — dispersed during the 1952–62 period of thermonuclear bomb tests — have been proposed as a proposed global marker for the beginning of the Anthropocene. Yet going back to the more hopeful and creative spirit of E.A.T — where art is understood, to borrow the words of curator Koyo Kuoh, “as an urgency for life, for togetherness, and also for understanding the interdependency of art and society”— it is clear how the mavericks invited to speak over these two days approach form as a consequence of social and environmental impact. From the outdated maxim “form follows function” to a proposal of “form follows impact”, a singular question resonated throughout the weekend: What forms of practice create meaningful impact?
At a time when the generative power of art is in a questionable state, it is restorative indeed to bask in the participatory approach of artist Rick Lowe, and in the recognition that impact is strongest when built on collaboration. Lowe’s work has consistently and generatively engaged with ideas of form and impact. Years after the initiation of his projects, their impact and subsequent transformation of local communities is apparent. In his practice, the role of the artist is that of creating a platform to engage and empower people to employ their own creativity. Projects such as Houston's Project Row Houses — as well as initiatives in Dallas, TX and Athens, GA — are testament to his belief that art can strengthen communities and foster social change.
In an analogue manner, Sammy Baloji’s form of practice is deeply rooted in the daily life of the Congolese people, drawing on collective intelligence, histories and sensibilities. Whether articulated through collaborations with scientists or architects, called upon to unravel the untold stories of Congolese colonial heritage, or by commissioning diaspora artists to address these histories — as part of his work in cultural decentring with the Lubumbashi Biennale, which he founded in 2008 — Baloji is committed to marshalling a multiplicity of voices to unravel the ongoing repercussions of imperial reign. Projects like the “Mémoire” photomontage series (2006) are explicative of the endurance of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the infrastructures intended to accommodate neo-colonial practices of extractive capitalism. Viewers are confronted with the juxtaposition of black and white photographs, dating from the depths of Belgian colonial era, and contemporary pictures of the artists’ home in the former mining city of Lubumbashi, regional capital of the Katanga region. This territory has been extensively mined ever since uranium was extracted from the nearby Shinkolobwe mine and later used for the Manhattan Project and other subsequent nuclear programmes conducted in the 1940s and fifties by the United States. Although Shinkolobwe was closed in 2004, the immense natural resources and extractive potential around Lubumbashi have made it the headquarters for major mining companies. extracting both copper and cobalt. In the name of decarbonisation, the extraction of conflict minerals has been widely linked to ethnic violence, human rights abuses and corruption. Through these and other works, we are brought back to the extreme consequences of terrestrial and social impacts, and the complex connections between colonialism, extractive capitalism and climate damage.
Some north-easterly distance away in Cairo, May al-Ibrashy’s inspirational form of sustainable preservation lies at the intersection of an architectural office and an NGO. For al-Ibrashy, although preservation does start from a concern around the endurance of form, it is also about the stories embedded within it — and the unexpected impacts of sustainable heritage management. Heritage efforts hingeing on “pristine” preservation can — quickly and unexpectedly — turn a living location into a shrine. Yet preservation is foremost about ensuring the persistence of life and attending to local urgencies — as in the case of the Khalifa neighbourhood, where a significant groundwater issue is addressed through innovative greening and water harvesting methods. These are not only geared at water optimisation for the citizens but also non-human actors, impacting on the quality of the soil and the air.
It is al-Ibrashy’s third story which makes the biggest impact, through her multiscalar work towards the preservation of people’s homes in the neighbourhood surrounding the Egyptian citadel. Here government policy has, for fifty years, prohibited citizens from maintaining their buildings — planning to issue demolition orders, with the endgame of clearing space for redevelopment. Through traditional architectural methods as well as by direct participation via the Woven Tales project, May was able to engage the local community, various stakeholders and the government itself, advocating for and ensuring the refurbishment and reacquisition of a number of houses and common spaces.
Down the valley from Zuoz, through Martina Voser’s presentation of the landscape of the Bregaglia Valley — and the infrastructural projects planned in the wake of the 2017 landslide — we are reminded that maximal impact can be made with the lowest amount of resources. Appointed with the complex task of balancing a large-scale hydrological strategy with local cultural sensitivities, Voser’s architectural practice mavo landschaften gmbh did not shy away from adding complexity to ensure a reduced environmental impact. Rather than excavating more stone from the mountain, as advised by the canton, the team challenged the municipality to actively work with the three million cubic meters of debris as a resource — advocating for infrastructure that supports both societal well-being and ecological diversity.
Reflecting on form and impact, it is clear that both virtual (via social media platforms) and physical (cities, for example) realms are substantially theatres of continuous performance and rehearsal, where we play out minutely observed personal and collective identities — even as we impact larger systems. Through the performance of the artistic collective (la)horde, we are reminded of the power of social media tools to connect and influence, as well as the beauty and power of the liberated movement of our bodies in space. Projects like the Novacieres series and ‘Marry me in Bassiani’ are exemplary of the collective’s work, which bridges dance, film, and performance whilst blending traditional and contemporary forms of dance. In this case, the references to traditional Georgian culture, is able to shape a non-hierarchical and “timeless” vision of dance. Yet ‘Marry me in Bassiani’ also explores the civic and political dimension, building upon the numerous rave protests which saw citizens and ravers take to the streets of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, deploying music and dancing as tools for resistance.
For the peerless duo Holly Herndon and Matt Dryhurst, music exists as both a space for experimentation but also very much as a tool for questioning the larger ethical implication of the AI industry and the importance of consent. Through the concept of ‘protocol art’, Holly and Matt explore the creative engineering of technical and ethical protocols surrounding media production — hoping that by engineering the rules of the game, they can form new kinds of art and exchange. Starting their research before the advent of pervasive AI has allowed them to fully grasp and interpret the processes behind the ‘intelligence’, and the individual design decisions which are most often left in the careless hands of a couple of companies in Palo Alto. It’s inspiring to see something which started as an art project — as is the case of "Spawning Consent Protocol," which allows individuals to opt out of their data being used in AI training — having a real impact on policy, including the UK's latest opt-out legislation.
Throughout two days of conversation, many stimulating intersections are woven between different forms of practice and their entanglements with everyday life. Indeed the most brutal and beautiful moments have, accidentally or not, shaped the practices of many speakers. This would include Rick Lowe, who charts his desire to highlight the persistent racism and police brutality of his community through finding inspiration in Joseph Beuys “America” and socialist sculpture, as well as the sincere practice of John Biggers. Rejecting formal artistic education and classical canons, Alvaro Barrington reveals how inspiration came in the form of American contemporary culture and the likes of Biggie Smalls and 2pac as well as the iconic Tina Turner. It’s a particular poem from Tupac Shakur’s book — titled The Rose That Grew From Concrete — which provides the metaphor for resilience and determination that inspired part of Barrington’s work, developed in collaboration with Teresa Farrell, currently on show at the San Bastiaun Chapel. Ultimately, it was the everyday aesthetics permeating the Obrist household, in the form of Tinguelly-designed chocolate boxes or posters by Pierre Keller — as well as a dramatic accident which kept him in hospital for several months — that moved the mighty Hans Ulrich to realising his ambition to ensure that art permeates life. It is no coincidence that Obrist’s first show — featuring the work of artists Fischli + Weiss — was hosted in the kitchen of his own apartment in St Gallen. His ambition to expand beyond the space of the institution still informs his role as artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries, which Obrist discusses at E.A.T in a conversation with Susan Hefuna. Underlining the idea that not all impact is created through material form, Obrist is famously a master if not a pioneer of the artist-conversation format — famously and particularly also focussing on their unrealised projects.
The discussions expanded the potentials of interpreting form — both as a noun but also a verb, which is strongest when enacted through collaboration.
What is to be gleaned from a marathon weekend of conversations, performances and exchanges in the rarified air of the Swiss Alps? For one, the discussions certainly expanded the potentials of interpreting form — both as a noun but also a verb, which is strongest when enacted through collaboration. Secondly: whether virtual or tangible, art’s generative impact lies in the everyday; not in metrics of the market but with anyone willing to engage with it. Happily, while the remote Engadin village might not be accessible to all, the presentations and conversations discussed in this review are livestreamed and freely available to view on E.A.T’s youtube channel — meaning that we’re all invited to take them forward.
Bios
Federica Sofia Zambeletti is the founder and managing director of KoozArch. She is an architect, researcher and storyteller whose interests lie at the intersection between art, architecture and regenerative practices. In 2022 Federica founded KoozArch with the ambition of creating a space where to research, explore and discuss architecture beyond the limits of its built form. Prior to dedicating her full attention to KoozArch, Federica collaborated with the architecture studio and non-profit agency for change UNA/UNLESS working on numerous cultural projects and the research of "Antarctic Resolution". Federica is an Architectural Association School of Architecture in London alumni.
Engadin Art Talks (E.A.T.) is a forum of art, architecture, design, literature, and innovation that regularly takes place in Zuoz in the Swiss Engadin valley. With a year-round public programme, E.A.T. aims to connect the arts with its neighbouring disciplines through insightful presentations, panel discussions, and participatory happenings that respond to urgent themes of our world. The forum's intention is to find novel perspectives on relevant topics that define our present and shape our future.
