From Switzerland with Love
Let's All Share The Love ♥
Today we are bringing you Love from Switzerland, where Alexia Weill lives and works near the city of Vevey, more known for being Nestlé Headquarters!
Switzerland is now re-opening, starting this week, as they were quite successful in fighting the spread of the Corona Virus, early on.
From Switzerland with Love
by Alexia
“I really wanted to create a Circle of Solidarity, symbolizing the link between us, home confined, and the first responders…’
How are things in Switzerland, Alexia?
In Switzerland we only had a partial lock down. We could go out, take a walk as long as we were avoiding too much contact and respecting the social distancing rules set for by the Federal government. Most people here are very disciplined and scrupulously followed the rules! Starting Monday, May 11, we entered the first phase of re-opening the entire country.
Most people here scrupulously followed the rules!…
How does the situation affect your everyday life?
My studio for working on stone is too far away so I used a small studio I had set up long ago at home. Of course I had to adapt and learn a different way of working. From the very beginning of the pandemic I really wanted to create a Circle of Solidarity, symbolizing the link between us, home confined, and the first responders and health staff who were first line to battle this pandemic.
I had to work with whatever I had home, plaster, concrete, wire and paint that I usually only use to make the models. Within a few days I was able to finalize the whole concept and start working on the final circle. It is the same blueish color as the surgical masks. In fact there is a mask on the sculpture but you have to get very close to see it. I also asked on social networks if people had a message of support they wanted to send to the hospital staff. I got a lot of answers, printed them and gave them to the Hospital staff. I donated the Circle of Solidarity to the Riviera-Chablais Hospital of the Vaud canton where I live. It was installed end of April in the Hospital main lobby.
I donated the Circle of Solidarity to the Riviera-Chablais Hospital
The Circle of Solidarity in the Hospital main lobby
Can you tell us more about your feelings?
The first days of the lock down have been very difficult for me with a sense of helplessness especially as it came to protecting my own children both physically and mentally. A constant dialogue has been most important.
It also became essential for me to create a work that would forever witness these unprecedented times we had entered. I lived this whole process as a way for me to participate with my creativity, my imagination and how I looked at the new world order. Daily meditations also helped me a great deal. I felt this whole experience was an opportunity to refocus on what is really important.
Finally, how does all that influence your Art practice?
I now feel that I need to keep creating circles linking the human beings and the natural elements, some sort of protective totems allowing us to get a closer connection to nature. We need to stop considering ourselves as the center of the universe but rather as one element of our world that we must respect. I want my work to reflect how important the connection between all the living things is while also being conscious of our identity as human beings. This worldwide pandemic also highlight how we are all interconnected and lead us to rethink our choices and our values.
This concept will be front and center in my upcoming exhibition in Lausanne this November.
The “Cercle de la Solidarité”
by Alexia Weill
Angel Wings
by Alexia Weill