Philipp Krebs at the Swiss Embassy
Artist Philipp Krebs recently displayed a new project at the opening of the Swiss Embassy in Pretoria. Taking his cue from the simple numerical fact that both the words Switzerland and South Africa are made up of eleven characters, he constructed 11 inflatable pillars for each of the two countries.
These were arranged in the manner of a tree-lined avenue, with colourful pictures printed onto these pillars. These depicted certain typical aspects of each country, and were intended to illustrate the beauty and parallels between the two. The pillars were arranged in a funnel, channelling visitors towards the entrance of the building.
The new embassy was ceremoniously opened on February 19 by foreign minister Dlamini-Zuma and foreign minister Michelle Calmy-Rey, as well as the host, Ambassador Rudolf Schaller.
