Description
The residents of the city of Rapperswil-Jona had labeled the traffic underpass on St. Gallerstrasse a so-called “non-place” which led to the idea to upgrade it with an art intervention. A public competition was announced with more than thirty participating parties. The project “Flora Magica” initially made it to the shortlist of the best three, and ultimately ended up winning the competition.
Gen Atem’s and Miriam Bossard’s design “Flora Magica” is a response to the setting of the underpass and attempts to give it a new lightness. Instead of cleaning the walls and imposing a “clean” decor, they propose a transposition that builds on the existing. With that in mind they were able to translate the old traces found on the concrete walls into a magical world. The years-long weathering process (sintering, pollution, algae formation, erosion and growth) led to a very unique palette of shapes and colors and provided the basis for their art intervention.
Gen Atem and Miriam Bossard take on the colorfulness of the site, heighten its luminosity through the use of dark elements, scale organic and floral elements and contrast them with graphic forms. They complement the existing with repetitive as well as deconstructive elements, at times intervene only partially, at other times extensively. Their work combines elements and techniques of traditional painting and urban art culture.
Flora Frommelt and Kevin Mikes
