Swiss Grand Award for Design 2016 goes to Claudia Caviezel, Hans Eichenberger and Ralph Schraivogel
Bern, 07.04.2016 - The Federal Office of Culture (FOC) presents this year’s Swiss Grand Award for Design to textile designer Claudia Caviezel, furniture and interior designer Hans Eichenberger and graphic designer Ralph Schraivogel. The award winners will receive their honours on Tuesday 14 June 2016 at the opening of the Swiss Design Awards 2016 exhibition. The exhibition, which runs in parallel with Art Basel and DesignMiami between 14 and 19 June 2016, presents interviews and photographic portraits of the award winners. The publication accompanying the Swiss Grand Award for Design 2016 will be presented in Milan on 11 April 2016 in parallel with the Salone del Mobile.
With its selection, the Federal Design Commission recognises the work of three outstanding designers who have played a defining role in cultural creativity in Switzerland, be it through the experimental design of Ralph Schraivogel’s now legendary and visually unmistakeable posters; Claudia Caviezel’s pioneering and innovative pattern and colour combinations in Swiss fashion, textile and product design practice; or the unparalleled contribution of Hans Eichenberger, with his precise yet playful development of new typologies in furniture and interior design as well as his universally admired one-offs such as the famous “Saffa” chair.
Launched in 2007 and endowed with CHF 40,000 in each case, the Swiss Grand Award for Design highlights the work of well-known designers that exemplifies the quality and relevance of Swiss design practice nationally and internationally.
The presentation ceremony for the Swiss Grand Award for Design 2016 and the Swiss Design Awards 2016 takes place on Tuesday 14 June 2016 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Hall 3 of the Messe Basel exhibition centre.
The award winners
Claudia Caviezel, b. 1977 in Zug
Textile designer, St. Gallen
Textile designer Claudia Caviezel is known for her inquisitiveness and sharp eye for the potential of everyday objects. After training at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Lucerne she worked for the haute couture textile manufacturer Jakob Schlaepfer while also developing a wide range of other projects, from fabrics and lampshades to rugs and wall coverings. In all her work, Caviezel pursues an experimental and open approach, skilfully combining her unique instinct for patterns and colours with outstanding expertise in materials and techniques. She is currently responsible for fabric procurement and development at the St.Gallen fashion company Akris.
With the Swiss Grand Award for Design 2016, the FOC honours Caviezel’s talent and her profound influence on contemporary Swiss textile design. Claudia Caviezel has received a Swiss Design Award on three previous occasions, in 2003, 2007 and 2010.
Ralph Schraivogel, b. 1960 in Lucerne
Graphic designer, Zurich
Graphic designer Ralph Schraivogel is famed for his especially precise and meticulous working methods. After studying at the School of Art and Design Zurich he opened his own studio, also in Zurich. His preferred medium of expression is the poster. He has created works for many Swiss cultural institutions: in particular, his long-standing collaboration with Zurich’s Filmpodium, the Museum of Design Zurich and the Cinemafrica film festival has given rise to powerful, eloquent graphic identities that have exerted a lasting influence on Swiss graphic design. His posters have received numerous international awards and are represented in major collections such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Schraivogel has been a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) since 1995.
With the Swiss Grand Award for Design 2016, the FOC recognises Schraivogel’s unique position in Swiss graphic design, the expressive and consistent identity of his work, and the major influence of his posters on the image and communications of many Swiss cultural institutions. Schraivogel has received a Swiss Design Award on three previous occasions, in 1995, 1997 and 2000.
Hans Eichenberger, b. 1926 in Grosshöchstetten
Furniture and interior designer, Herrenschwanden, Bern
Hans Eichenberger is a leading Swiss furniture and interior designer from Herrenschwanden near Bern. After training as a carpenter he moved to Paris, where in the early 1950s he became part of the dynamic cultural and artistic scene that was to have a key influence on his life and work. Back in Switzerland, he systematically refined his inimitably clear signature and is now considered one of the leading Swiss designers of the 20th century. Together with Trix and Robert Haussmann, Kurt Thut, Teo Jakob and Alfred Hablützel he founded the label Swiss Design; subsequently he also worked with Atelier 5 and executed projects for clients including the Swiss National Bank, the Kunstmuseum Bern and Swiss Federal Railways. Eichenberger’s numerous works are thus inextricably woven into the development of modern Switzerland. They are exhibited at institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein and the Museum of Design Zurich.
With the Swiss Grand Award for Design 2016, the FOC honours Eichenberger’s pioneering role in the history of 20th-century Swiss furniture and interior design as well as his major influence on generations of national and international designers. Eichenberger has received a Swiss Design Award on three previous occasions, in 1954, 1957 and 1958. He acted as an expert for the Swiss Design Competition from 1977 to 1983.
Swiss Grand Award for Design 2016 book launch
The Swiss Grand Award for Design 2016 publication will be presented on 11 April at the Istituto Svizzero in Milan, in the presence of the award winners.
6 p.m. “Design in conversation: on revolutions and the uncommons”, presentation with Jonathan Hares and Ralph Schraivogel (admission free)
Istituto Svizzero
Via Vecchio Politecnico 3
20121 Milano
Swiss Design Awards 2016 exhibition
- Press preview: Monday 13 June 2016, Hall 3 (new exhibition location), Messe Basel, 11 a.m.
- Exhibition opening and Swiss Design Awards presentation ceremony (Swiss Design Awards & Swiss Grand Award for Design): Tuesday 14 June, Hall 3 (new exhibition location), Messe Basel, 6 p.m.-10 p.m.
- Design Day: Wednesday 15 June, Hall 3 (new exhibition location), Messe Basel, 2 p.m.-6 p.m.
The Swiss Design Awards 2016 exhibition is open from 14 – 19 June 2016 in Hall 3 (new exhibition location) of Messe Basel from 11a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free.
Detailed information and visual materials
www.swissdesignawardsblog.ch
Visual materials on the award winners are available for download on the website: http://www.bak.admin.ch/sgpd
The Swiss Design Awards on Instagram: @swissdesignawards / #swissdesignawards
The Swiss Design Awards on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sdaswissdesignawards
Address for enquiries
On the Confederation’s culture awards: Alexandra Thalmann, Deputy Head of Cultural Creativity Section, Federal Office of Culture, tel. +41(0) 58 465 39 20, +41 (0)79 788 34 14, alexandra.thalmann@bak.admin.ch
On the Swiss Design Awards: Patrizia Crivelli, Design Promotion, Cultural Creativity Section, Federal Office of Culture, tel. +41 (0)58 462 92 77, patrizia.crivelli@bak.admin.ch
Media services (organisation of interviews with the award winners and accreditation for the award ceremony in Basel): Julia Albani and Stefanie Lockwood, media@designpreise.ch, tel. +41 (0)76 729 43 21
Publisher
Federal Office of Cultural Affairs
http://www.bak.admin.ch
