Frame in Frame – Swiss Design in Motion, with a multi-channel video installation by Daan Couzijn
15-04-2026
For the first time in the United States, the exhibition Frame in Frame – Swiss Design in Motion presents rediscovered experimental films from the 1960s–90s. Shown during NYCxDesign at WSA, the exhibition unfolds within a spatial installation by a new generation of artists and designers. Curated by Christian Herren, the project is presented by the Consulate General of Switzerland.
Rather than presenting film from a fixed position, the exhibition takes shape as an environment structured by furniture, projection, light, and sound. Designer Ben Ganz transforms the iconic Lehni aluminum shelving system into a sculptural projection structure, drawing on a recent collaboration at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). Design studio Panter&Tourron introduces a flexible cinema landscape with their modular “Anagram” sofa system for Vitra, a reconfigurable platform shifting from focused viewing to informal settings. A bar built from USM Haller elements extends the setting into a place of exchange, while a rug by Trix and Robert Haussmann, produced by Ruckstuhl, introduces a more expressive register.
Artist Daan Couzijn was commissioned to explore the Basel Academy of Art and Design's archive of more than 300 experimental structural films from the 1960s–90s, created by students (among which were American art and design icons Marlene McCarty and Philip Burton) from the Film+Design course, initiated by Armin Hofmann and later led by Peter von Arx. It was one of the first programs to approach moving image from a graphic design perspective rooted in principles associated with Swiss design, and a precursor to what is now called motion design. In Frame in Frame, Daan Couzijn translates this material into a multi-channel video installation that explores the rhythm of solitary or overlapping projections and the resonance of their sound layers, creating a dynamic dialogue between the archival films. The work underscores both the historical significance and contemporary relevance of the films, while opening a gateway to the freely accessible online archive of these films, restored and digitized by the Basel Academy of Art and Design with the support of Memoriav.
In an age where computational tools increasingly automate the creation of moving images, Frame in Frame refocuses attention on the foundational principles behind how films are made. Rooted in the Swiss Design approach, this lineage extends into the present, where a new generation of product designers develops these principles in response to contemporary conditions, opening a view onto the structures that shape what we see.
16-04-2026
Engadin Art Talks (E.A.T.) is proud to present the E.A.T. INDEX, published by JRP|Editions. Initiated by Cristina Bechtler, conceived by Christian Herren, editorially developed with Daan Couzijn, and designed by Salzmann Gertsch, the book is an alphabetically structured, cross-referenced collection of several hundred mostly unpublished statements by internationally recognized artists, architects, scientists, and writers, including figures such as Vito Acconci, Eileen Myles, Hamish Fulton, Thomas Hirschhorn, Ibrahim Mahama, Emily Segal, Rasha Salti, and Lawrence Weiner.
Engadin Art Talks was founded in 2010 by Cristina Bechtler in collaboration with Hans Ulrich Obrist, and has since convened voices across disciplines in an ongoing program of conversations and encounters. These exchanges have taken place both in the Engadin and internationally, including in cities such as London and Paris. The E.A.T. INDEX draws on 15 years of these conversations, gathering this organically grown archive from 2010 to 2025, making it accessible in printed form for the first time.
Each quote included in the volume is linked to a specific keyword. These keywords are underlined and cross-referenced throughout the volume, encouraging readers to move from one term to another. Following a single word often leads directly to a different voice or discipline. The publication is complemented by 115 images that accompany selected quotations. Rather than being guided by chapters or chronology, the reader navigates the book through association to explore new perspectives by making unexpected connections. Index entries such as “Snake,” “Snow,” “Society,” and “Solidarity” appear next to each other solely due to their alphabetical order.
At first glance this sequence may seem arbitrary, but it is precisely this alphabetical proximity that allows new relationships to emerge. Instead of following a fixed timeline or a single narrative, reading becomes an active process of linking, flipping back and forth, and allowing ideas to unfold through juxtaposition rather than hierarchy. The book functions both as a point of entry and as a guide: it leads readers back to the complete contributions available in the Engadin Art Talks online archive, while at the same time generating new insights through the way widely separated themes and voices are brought together.
The volume is intentionally small in format. Due to its high-quality thread stitching, it is a book designed to be handled, carried, and returned to over time. The E.A.T. INDEX is not a publication to be read once from beginning to end, but a tool for continual rediscovery: a companion for uncovering new intellectual connections, and for thinking across disciplines alongside figures such as Ai Weiwei, Camille Henrot, Sylvie Fleury, Theaster Gates, Trajal Harrell, (LA)HORDE), Francis Kéré, Etel Adnan, and Eyal Weizman, among many others.
At first glance this sequence may seem arbitrary, but it is precisely this alphabetical proximity that allows new relationships to emerge. Instead of following a fixed timeline or a single narrative, reading becomes an active process of linking, flipping back and forth, and allowing ideas to unfold through juxtaposition rather than hierarchy. The book functions both as a point of entry and as a guide: it leads readers back to the complete contributions available in the Engadin Art Talks online archive, while at the same time generating new insights through the way widely separated themes and voices are brought together.
The volume is intentionally small in format. Due to its high-quality thread stitching, it is a book designed to be handled, carried, and returned to over time. The E.A.T. INDEX is not a publication to be read once from beginning to end, but a tool for continual rediscovery: a companion for uncovering new intellectual connections, and for thinking across disciplines alongside figures such as Ai Weiwei, Camille Henrot, Sylvie Fleury, Theaster Gates, Trajal Harrell, (LA)HORDE), Francis Kéré, Etel Adnan, and Eyal Weizman, among many others.