IN A STATE OF FLOW

The third Klöntal Triennale, titled IN A STATE OF FLOW, will take place in September 2024 at a new location in eastern Switzerland: the Legler Areal, a relic of the once-flourishing textile industry, set amid the iconic, seemingly idyllic mountain landscape in the canton of Glarus. Production at this site ceased in 2002, and the still-impressive architectural remnants of this former industrial glory have remained empty ever since, now facing an uncertain future.

Throughout September 2024, the site will undergo a multilayered and critical transformation. Artistic interventions by AATB, Chloé Delarue, Hotmailhotnail, Joyfully Waiting, Margaretha Jüngling, Izidora I LETHE, Julie Monot, Vitjitua Ndjiharine, Ernestyna Orlowska, the Performance Agency, Laure Prouvost, Tabita Rezaire, Romy Nína Rüegger, Davide-Christelle Sanvee, Veronika Spierenburg, and Raul Walch will reactivate the area, awakening the ghosts of the past while infusing the site with new impulses, imbuing it with new momentum.

Starting with the unique context of the Legler Areal, its historical evolution, and its paradigmatic nature in relation to similar situations worldwide, the artists explore themes that extend beyond this specific site and its depiction of industrial decline in the so-called Hinterland (periphery). Their investigations encompass (post-)industrial development, trade, production, colonialism, labor, transformation, economy, energy and resource use, tourism, and gender dynamics, with particular emphasis on the fact that much of the labor was provided by women.

Themes like metamorphosis and the flow of water, once pivotal to powering factory generators at the Legler Areal, resonate throughout the exhibition and the extensive performance program curated by Séverine Fromaigeat and Sabine Rusterholz Petko, spanning a diverse range of artistic practices from installative interventions and sound pieces to videos and lectures.

Featured works
AATB’s Spare Pack III (2024): Interactive robot dogs speculate on the fate of obsolete technologies in deserted spaces.

Chloé Delarue’s TAFAA—SIGNAL (Ice Cream so good) (2024): Neon sculpture merging human forms with signage, evoking post-technological futures.

Hotmailhotnail by Ivana Milenković: Workshop where participants create press-on nails with emancipatory symbols, blending nail art with sociopolitical themes.

Joyfully Waiting: An online platform showcasing sound works and performances by contemporary artists, presented at the Klöntal Triennale to explore themes of space, memory, and nature. Proposed by Nathalie Rebholz with Alexandre Joly, Galaxia Wang, Olga Kokcharova & Noémi Alberganti, Fátima Wegmann Guinassi, and Chaos Clay.

Margaretha Jüngling’s pause (2024): Lecture performance interweaving historical and personal narratives with a communal meal, reflecting on local traditions and migrant experiences.

Izidora I LETHE: Pigment imprints of bodies (Glow, 2024) and historical punch cards (Punch, 2024), address memory and labor history. Additionally, a rose motif (Flash, 2024) captures the circulation and transformation of cultural codes.

Julie Monot’s HUT (2024): Atmospheric textile installation and performance reactivating the use of denim and exploring themes of industrialization and women’s work.

Ernestyna Orlowska’s LEADER (2024): Performance examining lead’s symbolic implications, challenging labor constraints and neoliberal consumption.

The Performance Agency’s Radical Imaginaries Studio: An interdisciplinary project led by Yollotl Gómez-Alvarado and Yael Salomonowitz, fostering collective dreaming through temporary interventions bringing together Caique Tizzi, Asma Barchiche, Lara Dâmaso, and the Sleeping Manifesto, among others.

Laure Prouvost’s Oma-Je (2023): Multipart video work tracing sisterly journeys through time, humorously considering global challenges.

Tabita Rezaire’s Orbit Diapason (2021): Immersive installation exploring human expansion and healing practices within a honeycomb-shaped dome.

Romy Nína Rüegger’s A Fabric in . . . Red (2024): Investigation of historical narratives and textile production, combining documentary and subjective accounts of labor injustices.

Davide-Christelle Sanvee’s The Remnants(2024): Installation depicting frozen factory work, activated in a performance offering a ghostly interpretation of past labor.

Veronika Spierenburg’s Vivere come si può (2024): Immersive audio collage of archival textile production recordings, preserving industrial-era sounds for future reflection.

Raul Walch’s Ain’t no Fountain high enough (2024): Communal fountain inviting contemplation and interaction, emphasizing togetherness and political engagement.

Vitjitua Ndjiharine’s Networked Constellations (2023): Installation with textile banners exploring restitution and cultural appropriation, sparking discussion on Swiss textile history.

IN A STATE OF FLOW
September 1–29, each weekend
Opening: Saturday, August 31, 2–11pm
Legler Areal, Maschinenstrasse 2, CH-Diesbach GL

Program: kloentaltriennale.ch/events
Website: kloentaltriennale.ch
Instagram: @kloental_triennale

In conjunction with the exhibition, a publication will be released featuring contributions from: Regula Bochsler, Ellena Brandner/Reto Bürgin/Heike Mayer, Lucas Federer, Parker Hatley/Peter Warshall, Susanne Hefti, Claudia Kock Marti, Kaspar Marti, Noha Mokhtar, Gianna Molinari, Sean Müller, Boris Previšić, Romy Nína Rüegger, Sabine Rusterholz Petko, Peter Spillmann, Andrea Štaka, and Helen Thomas, as well as visual contributions by the artists.

Contact for journalists
Jenni Schmitt: media [​at​] kloentaltriennale.ch