2024: Vibrerandet / The vibrancy
Anita Zumbühl
Anita is an artist living and working in Bern, Switzerland. Her artistic practice is guided by a curiosity to explore things: she experiments with materials, words, images and working processes. In many of her works, she reflects on what we call nature — also in order to rethink our place in it. In addition to her own artistic work, she realizes collaborative projects in changing constellations and is part of the artist collective Salon Liz.
Åsen were in full vibrancy when Anita enter the summer residency. The main actor in her project are lichens and the questions explored is what can we learn from lichens or what can we learn from the stories of lichens?
Lichens are still mysterious for humans and their existence is still tickling biologists to fully mapping them out. The small community of fungi, algae and bacteria living in synergy of coexistence – is all together becoming lichen. One as in many. In inspiration from the research part of the project Anita was getting to know the lichens by the books but more-so spending time in being with lichens at Åsen. In relation, bodies to bodies on a shared site. The first vibrant story reaching out to the research-questions, what we (humans) can learn; is the humility to how ways of life are connected, under good conditions/relationships we could deepen our care and the knowledge. The story of lichen is supporting our shifting of mindset, where it will lead us holds the will to change.
We also remember with gratitude the open studio and the artist talk that spark inspiration and knowledge to reflect on coexistence in conversation with lichens. In the artist talk Anita touches that getting aware of your own composite nature, shared bodies, communities of life forms feeding each other, leaking into each other, is becoming-with > becoming other. From lichens we learn collaboration is transformative.
Becoming other (Poem by Anita, excerpt)
An I is also a We is also a You
only together We are
each-and-other
To be, in lichen, is plural
to be lichen, is to be many
Website: anitazumbuehl.ch
Anita Zumbühl
Anita is an artist living and working in Bern, Switzerland. Her artistic practice is guided by a curiosity to explore things: she experiments with materials, words, images and working processes. In many of her works, she reflects on what we call nature — also in order to rethink our place in it. In addition to her own artistic work, she realizes collaborative projects in changing constellations and is part of the artist collective Salon Liz.
Åsen were in full vibrancy when Anita enter the summer residency. The main actor in her project are lichens and the questions explored is what can we learn from lichens or what can we learn from the stories of lichens?
Lichens are still mysterious for humans and their existence is still tickling biologists to fully mapping them out. The small community of fungi, algae and bacteria living in synergy of coexistence – is all together becoming lichen. One as in many. In inspiration from the research part of the project Anita was getting to know the lichens by the books but more-so spending time in being with lichens at Åsen. In relation, bodies to bodies on a shared site. The first vibrant story reaching out to the research-questions, what we (humans) can learn; is the humility to how ways of life are connected, under good conditions/relationships we could deepen our care and the knowledge. The story of lichen is supporting our shifting of mindset, where it will lead us holds the will to change.
We also remember with gratitude the open studio and the artist talk that spark inspiration and knowledge to reflect on coexistence in conversation with lichens. In the artist talk Anita touches that getting aware of your own composite nature, shared bodies, communities of life forms feeding each other, leaking into each other, is becoming-with > becoming other. From lichens we learn collaboration is transformative.
Becoming other (Poem by Anita, excerpt)
An I is also a We is also a You
only together We are
each-and-other
To be, in lichen, is plural
to be lichen, is to be many
Website: anitazumbuehl.ch
A project initiated by
![]()
With support from
![]()
