Agenda

The city of Biel/Bienne is known for its bilingualism (French and German), and as a language laboratory, it is given a model character. The exhibition (Le bilinguisme n’existe pas)  examines the effects of this multilingualism in the fields of economics, politics, education and culture.

Besides, are 50, 100 or even more languages spoken in this city today? Language mergers and mutual acceptance are as common as language barriers and conflicts. Are languages growing together in the age of migration, WhatsApp communication, and other modern technologies? The old and new languages of the city are covered with all the senses in this exhibition, even by smell.

Migration is a constant in human history, and the reasons for our comings and goings are varied. The exhibition covers a long period in history, beginning with the first human beings in Africa, then charting their gradual spread across the globe two million years ago and culminating in a look at Switzerland today. Traces and stories left behind by immigrants and emigrants show how their plans succeeded or failed: from Switzerland’s first settlers to those searching for a better life overseas; from persecuted religious groups to refugees who were taken in; and from labour migration to the multicultural Swiss national football team.

The period of the founding of the town of Fribourg in the 12th century (in the year 1157 by the Duke of Zähringen), the 13th century and the 15th and 16th centuries, are well known and well documented. However, the 13th century has been largely forgotten. The fourteenth century offers a rich heritage of architecture, painting, sculpture, goldsmithing and illuminated books, however. This century was an important period for the city, both economically, politically and for the art. The exhibition presents this period to bring this cultural history back to the fore.

On the occasion of the new album of Alix and the Helvetians, Les Helvètes, the archaeological site and the Roman museum in Avenches show a series of original slides from previous albums. Les Helvètes is the 38th volume of the Alix series, created by Jacques Martin (1921-2010) in 1948. The Romans commissioned Alix on a peace mission on the territory of the warlike Helvetians. However, it was not made easy for Alix and the Romans. The album is almost a documentary addition to what would later become Switzerland. The exhibition and the museum give an overview of this history and (local) archaeology.

The museum presents the best wildlife photographs of 2019, breath taking landscapes, surprising animal portraits and dramatic spectacles of nature. Every year, the Natural History Museum London hosts the renowned ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ competition. More than 48 000 images from more than 100 countries were submitted. The museum selected the 100 most outstanding images (chosen by the jury of the Natural History Museum London).

The exhibition Alpine Workshop (Werkstatt Alpen) presents people from the Swiss Alps who funnel their creativity and tenacity into producing not only premium products but also fresh perspectives. This is no idealized world, but real, everyday life. What does it mean to manufacture a product by hand in a digitalized and globalized society ? The museum has been transformed into a workshop, incorporating various artisan enterprises from mountain regions which will be presented in person or in pictures and sound. They will provide insights into their experiences and illustrate the real meaning of artisanal trades today.

Food and drink are omnipresent in the work of Friedrich Dürrenmatt, whether in his plays, caricatures, portraits or novels. The exhibition (Das grosse Festmahl) explores the theme of food and drink in the work and life of the writer and painter. The show is based on work by Dürrenmatt and artists who have incorporated his imagination of food and drink into their art.

For centuries Lake Constance flooded the banks, villages, fields and roads. In its storms, it devoured fishermen, cargo ships and steamships. The untamed Rhine, which crosses Lake Constance, caused flooding and destruction in the Rhine valley. In the depths of the lake, there are countless ships, aeroplanes and nameless victims. In the 19th century, however, the forces of nature were largely brought under control, and the Rhine was canalised. The exhibition shows the history of the lake and the Rhine and related works of art, stories, documents, disasters, flood protection and the many finds and the undiscovered wrecks in the lake.

Howard Smith (1943) specializes in researching the means of painting and the process of painting, mainly the interaction between colour and background and the relationship between this art and the viewer. This exhibition (No end in sight) of this representative of essentialist painting shows, through more than 70 paintings, watercolours and drawings, the importance of this artist, who for more than 50 years has been systematically and poetically investigating the possibilities and effects of colour.

The exhibition shows the importance of the quality of the water in the gorges of the Areuse. They have been supplying water to two-thirds of the population of the canton of Neuchâtel for more than a century. The exhibition highlights the tiny shellfish Gelyella monardi, less than 1/3 of a millimetre in size. This unique animal has been inhabiting the vast (under) water reservoirs for 20 million years. It is a bio-indicator of water quality and is internationally recognised as a unique animal.