Rebirth - 2024
This work is rooted in the unique geographical setting of the city of Sierre, in Switzerland. Located at the heart of the Valais region, this place abounds with industrial history and contemporary urban transformation, between the traces of the past and the movements of the present.
My research draws inspiration from a social, ecological, and historical consciousness that finds its expression in an examination of archiving, displacement, and recreation (rebirth). These themes are central to my approach, which investigates the way in which objects, histories, and memories circulate and are transformed through time and space.
I conceive of the city here as an “archive.” In Switzerland, many rivers that used to be essential to the industrial and economic development of towns, like the Monderèche, have been concealed, buried, then forgotten. These waterways, which were winding by nature, have often been redirected and canalized with walls to straighten their course, as was the case for the Seyon in Neuchâtel, or on an even larger scale, the Rhône. However, these interventions have been called into question for several years now.
The rivers are reappearing, especially in the form of decorative elements, and we are attempting to return them to their initial form, thereby allowing history to reemerge
in our present time.
The object selected for this work is hardly random: It is both a common symbol and one laden with meaning and entrenched in the daily life of Sierre. My choice reflects my wish to bring us, as spectators, closer to a tangible and familiar element. This “current archeological” element, placed in front of the former Monderèche canal, resurfaces today in order to hilight its history and announce its future rebirth. Once insignificant, this object is now being revived, reminding us of a memory that was thought to have been buried. When the Beaulieu Bridge is reconstructed, the Monderèche will reappear, marking a second birth.
Public work - Park Mondérêche-Les Marais d’Itagne - Sierre, Switzerland
Book Launch Staging Architecture (StAr) - With EDHEA MAPS+S - Villa Moyard - Rebirth - Morges Switzerland - 28.02.26
Selection of links about I Can Remember It For You