Stadtufer
Transformation of an industrial site,
Lichtensteig, Switzerland, ongoing
The valley has an impressive history with radical twists and turns. Originally an agricultural valley, it developed into one of the most industrialised places in the world in the 19th century. The textiles produced in this valley flooded entire overseas markets. This is no longer important for the fragment. Industrial mass production has moved to the places that were originally supplied and once again profoundly changed the landscape. What remains are the empty rooms of the functionless factories and the disused machines.
The former factory is being given a new lease of life. We are supporting the co-operative in the conversion of the factory into flats and a local production space for crafts, art and culture. But also the perception of the factory - once a symbol of industrialisation and globalisation, child labour and the financing of the slave trade - will change radically with the arrival of an new group of people and challenge the valley.
