Vionnet Nicolas & Sibum Wouter

Nicolas Vionnet (*1976 in Basel) and Wouter Sibum (*1980 in Amsterdam) are two artists who work as a project-based duo in the fields of installation and art in public space. At the 9th Swiss Triennial of Sculpture, they will be showing their collaborative work "Nebenbei". The installation focuses on the perception of isolation, which people have had to deal with in the context of the pandemic at home or in nature, among other things. Even from a distance, passers-by are presented with a strange sight: a dynamic water fountain rises rhythmically from a 40-foot long sea container and disappears again. The oversized fountain in the middle of the village centre presents itself as an attractive element that invites visitors to go inside the container. Once inside, visitors find themselves in the middle of an idyllic garden landscape with a pond. Although the sounds, smells and weather of the outside world are still perceptible here, the interior of the container opens up a parallel world in which the daily routine can be forgotten for a brief moment. In this moment of pause, the feeling of isolation can be consciously or unconsciously experienced in a new and perhaps positive way.

Furthermore, the work encourages an examination of the nature of sculpture itself. The water fountain with its fleeting appearance and the organic structures inside, which stand in clear contrast to the technical and metallic shell of the container, encourage us to rethink and reinterpret the classic concept of sculpture.

Quote

«We are interested in interventions that approach the environment and enter into a dialogue with it without creating subordination. This dialogue opens up a field of tension.»