Easton, V: RITZWIRTH

Biel-based duo RITZWIRTH enjoys a unique position in the Swiss art scene. Katia Ritz as an architect and Florian Hauswirth as industrial designer not only realise architectural projects but have since 2009 also produced installations together. A central focus are interventions that directly reference their surroundings and consequently differ greatly in their conception. Thanks to their independent approach and their hybrid practice between art, design and architecture Ritz and Hauswirth change the respective place in a surprising way. Their interventions include a remarkable range of projects from scenographic works such as the Zentrum Paul Klee or the Appenzell mountain station Hoher Kasten, via the Raketen Regenwasser Silo on the Gurzelan site in Biel, that can be used for various activities, and the extension of the Coupole Biel, through to a window installation comprising envelopes for the Ishinomaki Laboratory in Tokyo. They respond primarily to urban environments such as les Urbaines in Lausanne and Spazio Lampo in Chiasso, or they intervene in nature in the context of the sculpture triennale Bex & Arts. Sound is repeatedly integrated into their work by way of complementing the spatial.