Agenda

Humans have been fascinated by optical illusions for hundreds of years. From the 1780s, panoramas set a milestone in the creation of illusionary worlds—the first mass media of their time. In today’s digital world, such visual wonders and optical illusions have lost none of their magic —virtual reality is not a modern invention. In collaboration with the Seico collective and the Lucerne School of Art and Design (Design & Kunst), this two-part exhibition at the Lucerne and Thun Panoramas is dedicated to our fascination with optical achievements and invites you to explore them with your own eyes.

The exhibition shows the original illustrations from five children’s books by Alois Carigiet (1902-1985). But the museum also has something else to say. This year the museum received the Gartmann-Köppel legacy, including twelve original paintings, many lithographs, pencil sketches, posters, a total of 62 objects by Alois Carigiet. The objects cover his creative period since 1948. With the children’s books, Carigiet succeeded in capturing the lives of the former mountain dwellers in a striking way.

Today, roughly 751 800 Swiss citizens live abroad, distributed over 200 countries. Many have settled down, others plan to return someday. Migrations are a historical constant: up to the age of the French Revolution, mercenary was the most common cause for leaving the country, but artists/craftsmen, merchants, clergymen, scholars, and other specialists have been on the move in Europe ever since the early modern period. However, mass emigration only became a phenomenon in the 19th century when entire groups of family and entrepreneurs set off for distant shores and continents. The exhibition has fascinating stories to tell about past and present migrants. With the help of extraordinary exhibits, photographs, and films, the exhibition shines a light on a number of exceptional people.