Art en partage – Partaking in culture (VS)

Strengthening cultural identity in the canton of Valais

17 selected projects address issues in society, agriculture, tourism, urbanisation and health in the programme entitled «Art en partage – kulturelle Teilhabe» (partaking in culture) in the canton of Valais. The projects – from the disciplines of literature, visual arts, design and architecture, performing arts, film and video, science, and cultural heritage – are realised by professional cultural practitioners in conjunction with the local population.

Programme milestones since 2016 include plays built around the dialects of the communities Leukerbad, Salgesch and Bratsch, and an interactive installation allowing children and their parents to explore the phenomena of light and shade. Together with passionate amateur singers and musicians, professional musicians created new music inspired by the acoustics of the Valais landscape. And a group of village-based reporters gathered material on open issues in Simplon-Dorf by means of photo, video and audio documentation.

The projects enable joint creative processes across linguistic and social boundaries and give rise to unusual encounters between artists, refugees, patients, prison inmates, senior citizens, young children and other social groups.

Pro Helvetia is supporting the «Art en partage – kulturelle Teilhabe» pilot programme for a period of two years (2016 – 2018).