BLOCH is a multidisciplinary, collaborative and participatory art project initiated by Swiss artist duo, Com & Com( Marcus Gossolt and Johannes M Hedinger).
NEWS
Thinking outside the BLOCH
BLOCH is a multidisciplinary, collaborative and participatory art project initiated by Swiss artist duo, Com & Com( Marcus Gossolt and Johannes M Hedinger).
The transdisciplinary project combines contemporary art with traditional popular culture and fosters dialogue between people, by sharing traditions, customs and stories from different cultures.
A‘ bloch’ is the lowest, branch-less, piece of a large tree trunk. According to an Appenzell custom bearing the same name, the stump of the last spruce to have been felled in winter is drawn back and forth between the two villages, Urnäsch and Herisau, by 20 men. At the end of this day-long procession, the bloch is then auctioned off to the highest bidder in Urnäsch village square. As a rule, someone from the region will acquire it and use it to produce a special piece of furniture or tiles and shingles.
In 2011, Swiss art duo Com & Com were one of the first non-locals to purchase the bloch tree trunk at a historic peak price of CHF-3000( Swiss Francs). Since then BLOCH has been on its journey travelling around the world, making at least one stop on every continent: after first stations in Europe( among others in Bern, Basel, Berlin, Karlsruhe, St. Gallen and Zurich), Asia( China / Shanghai, Taipei and Singapore) and North America( North Dakota, Minnesota, Cincinnati, New York).
6 FEB / MARCH 2017 //