Saskia Winkelmann & Samuel Savenberg – Week 2

August 7, 2016

The second week went by really fast. One thought we couldn’t help but notice was that we’re not here for holidays but to be in an environment that allows us to work focused and without the usual distractions. But then again, we can’t hide from our daily-life routine. At least not completely. Deadlines won’t just change and emails keep on coming in. Besides, dishes and laundry have to be done and some daily necessities such as food or household items have to get organized. But so be it. We surely can’t complain and so far we’re having a very intense and full-filling time. We plan our stay with daily time schedules which include swimming and hiking as well as recording music, reading essays and evaluating our process. In the beginning this felt a bit odd to do, but it definitely makes sense. 

Tuesday and Wednesday we went to the northern part of Ticino, the San Gottardo region around Airolo and Faido. The once very touristic area has become abandoned and forgotten. The climate itself is barren and a bit dreary. It is an impressive contrast to the village of Vairano. Faidos decay might also indicate how western society and its view on leisure/holidays has changed. We sometimes have the feeling as if the people here (e.g staying in their holiday homes over weekends/summertime) are the last of a dying breed. 

Of course, these impressions and thoughts find their ways into our work. We are collecting, photographing and recording a lot. Our database keeps growing and after all we finally know what kind of atmosphere we want to recreate with our texts and recordings.

On another note: We have a second installment of our podcast-series. Click here.