Temporary exhibition runs from 11 April to 28 September with free activities every Sunday!
The Château de Prangins has just opened a new exhibition devoted to the traditional art of paper cutting. Also known as “Scherenschnitten”, this art form is closely associated with Switzerland’s heritage, and can be seen in different guises in many gift shops throughout the country.
Created by the Forum of Swiss History Schwyz, this temporary exhibition will run from 11 April to 20 September, 2014, and will feature many special events and activities, designed to encourage all ages of the public to find out more about this special craft.
Ten historical paper cuts, including a love letter, silhouettes and Alpine cattle scenes by artists such as Johann Jakob Hauswirth and Louis David Saugy, are presented at the exhibition, alongside approximately one hundred works from artists of the Association of Swiss Friends of Paper Cutting. Ranging from the abstract to the figurative and the dazzlingly colourful to the austerely black and white, these works are a testament to the expressive richness of a medium that enables artists to suggest the beauty of a landscape whilst also casting a critical eye over contemporary society.
Also featured at the exhibition are paper cuts made by children from the Pestalozzianum Foundation in Zurich between 1930 and 1960, and films by the celebrated German director and pioneer of silhouette animation, Lotte Reiniger. At the end of the tour, visitors can take a seat on a silhouette chair and recreate themselves in profile!
Special events and activities
To present this heritage in all its vitality and to inspire others to take up the art, the Château de Prangins is organizing paper cutting demonstrations and introductory workshops every Sunday throughout the course of the exhibition. This is a free activity included in the price of admission to the museum and will run from 14h30 to 16h30 every Sunday. Visitors can register at reception from 14h15 onwards.
Other special “paper cutting” days scheduled to take place include:
Free guided tours of the exhibition accompanied by curator, Helen Bieri Thomson: Thursdays 17 April and 8 May 2014 from 14h30 to 15h30, and Sundays 15 June and 28 September 2014 from 13h30 to 14h30.
Children’s holiday workshops on Tuesdays, 15 and 22 April, 8 July, 12 August from 14h30 to 16h30. The cost is just Fr. 10.- per child, including a snack. Registration in advance is required: 022 994 88 90.
Evening cinema concert on Saturday 6 September at 20h00, at which the Château de Prangins will screen a cinema classic that offers another view of life in the mountains: “Visages d‟enfants”, which was shot in Val d‟Anniviers in 1925 by the Franco-Belgian film-maker Jacques Feyder, who died at Prangins in 1948. The Hemlock Smith collective from Lausanne has set the film to music and will be playing its composition live in a special preview. The “Paper Cuts” exhibition will be open from 18h00. A cold sweet and savory buffet will be available in the Café du Château from 18h00 to 20h00. Places limited. Register by 20 August 2014 at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., quoting “cinema concert”
Special “Paper Cuts” day on Sunday 15 June, including free admission to the museum and the following activities:
- A chance to discover the exhibition with the help of pupils from the Gimel-Etoy school, who will act as guides.
- Guided tour of the exibition by curator, Helen Bieri Thompson.
- Demonstrations and introduction to paper cutting.
- Play-tour of the exhibition for kids aged 6 and upwards.
- “Musique helvétique” concerts by the duo N‟imPorte Quoi: an unforgettable musical tour of Switzerland (four performances during the day).
- “Patrimoine immaterial, qu‟est-ce que c‟est?” by Ariane Devanthéry, head of the project to identify the intangible cultural heritage of the Vaud region.
- Screenings of the enchanting animated films of Lotte Reiniger (1899-1981).
More information on these special events and others will be announced on the Château de Prangins website, nearer the time, in the Agenda section.
Photo/paper cut credits in order they appear in the article
Ueli Hauswirth, Alpine cattle drive, 2011, 49 x 82 cm
View of the exhibition © Musée national suisse
Werner Gunterswiler, The fly, 2012, 37 x 34 cm
Annemarie Grischott, Dandelion, 2012, 16 x 15,5 cm
Musée national suisse
Château de Prangins
1197 Prangins
022 994 88 90
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.museenational.ch/e/prangins/index.php
Opening hours
Tue - Sun 10 am – 5 pm
Exhibition "Papiers découpés. Scherenschnitte. Silhouette. Paper cuts."
11 April to 28 September, 2014
www.papiersdecoupes.chateaudeprangins.ch
EDITOR'S NOTE: Join us for Coffee and Creations on May 22 for Scherenschnitte! Click here to see what we did last time for this paper cutting extravaganza.
