One hundred red industrial barrels in a 10'000 cubic meter hall
Müller Group
It is a special place. Beautifully embedded in nature. The twittering of birds. Two kilometers south of the village center of Giswil. In the farthest corner of the Giswil Aaried plain. Here stands the former hydroelectric power station. It was built in 1921. The rooms are impressive. The former turbine hall alone has impressive dimensions (90 x 12 x 16 m). Until 1994, electricity was generated here from water power. Then the machinery was shut down. Since then, the industrial hall has been used as an exhibition space under the name Alte Kraftwerkszentrale Turbine Giswil.
The Turbine Hall has always impressed spatial artist Edwin Grüter (70): «With its length and height it has something of a cathedral». And it is true. Through the architecture with its window fronts, this image comes to mind.
Edwin Grüter has already made countless rooms in Central Switzerland the stage for his installations. He is using the Giswil turbine for the third time.
The one hundred 200-liter barrels - produced in Reiden by Müller Packaging - are grouped into 25 columns. They are connected only by an embedded chipboard. The stability results from the precision and weight of the barrels. The screw- and rivetless construction stands precisely as a column in the middle of the huge turbine hall. With his latest installation, the Central Swiss spatial artist Edwin Grüter transforms the Giswil turbine into a cathedral of contemporary art.
«For me, the red barrel columns are symbols of energy sources that stand in a hall where energy was produced for many years,» says Edwin Grüter, explaining his concept. The idea came up last year when he spent some time in the empty industrial hall and let the space take effect on him.
The walk along the 25 barrel columns is impressive. They stand still, are harmoniously integrated into the room and are beautifully set off by the incidence of light. A harmonious picture emerges. The view wanders up to the hall ceiling, back to the red glowing steel barrels, to the floor plates, out into the green through the window front. An impressive installation in a beautiful location. Thank you, Edwin Grüter.
Picture rights: © Melchior Imboden, Buochs, Switzerland
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