Program Symposium

> Concept
> Program + Summaries (Talks & Workshops)
> LIVE STREAM: YOUTUBE (5.-7.9.25)

WALKING Symposium

📣 OPEN CALL — Apply now!
—————————————————
👣 WALKING – Thinking in Motion
🗓 September 5–7, 2025
📍 Berghotel Alpenblick, Tenna, Safiental (CH)
💡 Symposium + Walkshops

To mark the 100th birthday of Lucius Burckhardt, founder of the science of walking (promenadology), this symposium brings together artists, researchers & walkers to explore walking as a critical, spatial and artistic practice.

🎤 With contributions by Tim Ingold, Pablo Helguera, Nazli Tümerdem, Annemarie Bucher, Marie-Anne Lerjen, Martin Ott, San Keller, Linard Bardill, Marcus Maeder, Othmar Arnold and many more.
🧭 Formats: Walkshops, performative walks, lecture performances, Round tables & Talks.

👉 Participation is free, limited to 30 spots
📌 Register by August 15, 2025
🎯 Want to contribute? Submit your proposal by August 8, 2025
🔗 Link in bio or visit: https://ilea.art/walking-thinking-in-movement/

Curated by: Violeta Burckhardt, Johannes M. Hedinger, Raimund Rodewald
Organized by: ILEA, studio erde, Lucius & Annemarie Burckhardt Stiftung

ART IN PUBLIC SPHERE

Places available in this ZHdK Summer School course “ART IN PUBLIC SPHERE” (block seminar: 28-30 Aug).

How can public space be experienced, changed and shaped by artistic means? In this ZHDK Summer School course, public space is explored and reflected upon as a space for images and action as well as a place for social relationships. Using examples, excursions, urban research and meetings with experts, we will learn about themes and methods of artistic projects in public space and develop their applicability for our own practice. The course starts with a theoretical introduction. Afterwards we will spend a lot of time in public space.

Head: Johannes M. Hedinger (ILEA) and Annemarie Bucher (FOA-FLUX) + Guest lecturer
Dates: Thu, Aug 28, 6-9pm / Fri, Aug 29, 9am – 5pm / Sat, Aug 30, 9am – 5pm
Info + registration: https://www.zhdk.ch/weiterbildung/sws/baustein-05-art-in-public-sphere-kuenstlerische-projekte-und-interventionen-im-oeffentlichen-raum-19276
Partner: ZHdK Weiterbildung / ILEA /  LABÖR

images: 1: Willi Dorner Urban Spaces / 2: Aram Bartholl Map / 3: Olafur Eliasson Ice Watch/ 4: OIivia Widerkehr SchmerZH / 5: Audiowalk with Ishita Chakraborty

Farewell Gian Pedretti

Othmar Arnold, the director of Hospiz Tenna, has written a beautiful obituary: https://tennahospiz.ch/4306-2/

An earlier text about Gian appeared in the Bündner Tagblatt: https://tennahospiz.ch/…/01/BT20230123FluchtPedretti.png

Research Trip India

Workshop and research meeting for the international Research Project RIVER LANDSCAPES at Science Gallery Bengaluru supported by a Synergy Grant from Pro Helvetia.
+ visit 1 Shanthi Road Studio/Gallery and Suresh Jayaram + visit India Art Fair with Shailesh B.R., Ritika Sharma, Farah Mulla + visit Saagwala Organic Farmers Collective and Sujit Mallik.

Book presentation

We are pleased to invite you to the book presentation of the last two ILEA Books at our publisher Vexer Verlag in Berlin:
#1: LEARNING FROM THE EARTH (2023)
#2: WHAT IF? LETTERS TO THE FUTURE (2024)
With an aperitif and presentation of the themes, selected art projects, reading of selected texts. With editor Johannes M. Hedinger and guests.

Fri 24. Jan 6-8pm
Vexer Verlag Berlin Office
Gneisenaustrasse 54
D – 10961 Berlin
www.vexer.ch

The following ILEA publications are available at Vexer:
– What if? Letters to the Future (2024)   LINK
– Learning from the Earth (2023)           LINK
– Mass Movements (2021)                    LINK
– Landscape #1 (2020)                          LINK

Review / Preview

SEASON’S GREETINGS to our friends, collaborators, partners, alumni, accomplices, visitors/readers and all interested parties of ILEA (Institute for Land and Environmental Art)
We wish you some peaceful days with your loved ones and a happy New Year. Let’s hope for less chaos and disasters and a positive change towards a better world.
There are also some changes coming to the Institute and the Biennale.

REVIEW 2024:
In January, ILEA researcher Dominik Landwehr published an essay in the journal “Schweizerisches Archiv für Volkskunde” on the ongoing research project “Safientaler Gespräche”.
Also in January the last part of the indo-swiss exchange program EAE (Environmental Art Exchange, funded by Pro Helvetia) took place in Goa with a residency of the ILEA alumni artist duo Badel/Sarbach.
End of March closed the exhibition “Grass Stories” by Dharmendra Prasad at ILEA Gallery at Berghotel Alpenblick in Tenna.
In June the transdisciplinary artistic research project “River Landscapes”, of which ILEA is part of, was kicked off at the Zurich Art Weekend with performances and talks. Funded by Pro Helvetia Synergies Grant, this 2 yearlong research project creates a new glossary which acknowledges rivers as landscapes shared by many species and cultures.
Also in June we had to say goodbye to alumni Ben Vautier (18.7.1935 – 5.6.2024).
In July the 5th Art Safiental Biennale kicked off under the title “What if? Songs from Tomorrowlands“, and run until Oct 20. 15 productions by artists from 12 nations took a critical look at possible futures and our world in transition. For the first time, four co-curators were responsible for the biennial. In addition to the founder and artistic director Johannes M. Hedinger, these were Anne-Laure Franchette, Josiane Imhasly and Joanna Lesnierowska. During the opening (5.-7.7.) and on three days in July, Aug and Sept several temporary performances took place in the valley.
Thanks to the continuing cooperation with Pro Helvetia Delhi we were able to host again two artists from India in the ILEA Residency in Tenna: Farah Mulla (June-July) and Sujit Mallik (July-Aug). Both were also included in the Art Safiental Biennale. Farah Mullah also represented ILEA in a group show at Cularta in Laax.
Due to insufficient funding, this year’s Alps Art Academy and symposium unfortunately had to be canceled. However, it was possible to include most of the invited experts in the enlarged publication ILEA Book 2: “What if? Letters to the future” (Vexer Verlag), which was presented at the finissage of the Biennale.
In October ILEA was invited for the Conference „Land Art Lives“ in Lelystad NL (Oct 3/4).
End of October the exhibition “Spatial Solidarities” by Studio Other Spaces closed at the Gelbes Haus in Flims, where ILEA was represented with the ongoing eco-acoustic artistic research project ACLA by Marcus Maeder.
In November ILEA Book 2: “What if? Letters to the future” was officially launched in the frame of the Futurological Congress (Nov 29/30) at Löwenbräukunst Zürich with a performative reading by Ishita Chakraborty.
In December, another book presentation and reading took place at the Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK, together with a lecture on art in the periphery.

PREVIEW 2025:
As of 1 January 2025, the sponsorship of Art Safiental Biennale and Alps Art Academy will be handed over from the Beverin Nature Park (in cooperation with the municipality of Safiental and Safiental Tourism) to the newly founded association (Verein) “Art Safiental”. Johannes M. Hedinger, director of both, the Biennale and the Academy for around 10 years, will leave the two initiatives he founded at the end of 2024. From 2025 he will focus on leading the ILEA (Institute for Land and Environmental Art) research center, which is moving to Zurich after 5 years based in Tenna. Both the ILEA Institute and the new Art Safiental association will realign themselves in the coming months and provide information when the time comes. Official communiqué: https://ilea.art/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/offizielles-communique-AS-ILEA-8.24.pdf
What is already lined up:
On Jan 24 6pm there will be another book launch for the ILEA Book2 (What if? Letters to the future) with readings at Vexer Publisher in Berlin.
In February ILEA is attending with the research project “River Landscape” att a conference at the Science Gallery in Bengaluru in India.
And for early summer and fall ILEA is planning two symposia.
Details will be shared in the next newsletter, on our website www.ilea.art and on our instagram channel.
Here’s to new ideas, shared moments, and exciting collaborations in 2025! We are looking forward to reconnect and wishing you a hopeful start to the New Year.

Book presentations ZHdK

We would like to invite you to the book presentations:
WHAT IF? LETTERS TO THE FUTURE (Vexer Publisher, 2024)
With aperitif and readings from our authors Hayat Erdogan, Damian Christinger and Johannes M. Hedinger

Thu Dec 5, 17-19.00
ZHdK Zurich University of the Arts, Room 4.T09
Toni Areal, Pfingstweidstr. 96, 8005 Zürich

The previous ILEA publications are also available:
– Learning from the Earth (2023)
– Mass Movements (2021)
– Landscape #1 (2020)
All in cooperation with the art book publisher
Vexer Verlag St.Gallen/Berlin

Futorological Congress

Successful launch of the new ILEA Publication at the Futurological Congress (Futures of Care) Nov 29./30. at Löwenbräukunst Zürich, organized by Julieta Aranda, Mareike Dittmer and Martina Huber/AIA; with a performative reading by one of our authors: Ishita Chakraborty.
Further contributions by Adnan Hadzi, Athina Maria, Ethel Baranoa Pohl, Giulia Bini, Ingo Niermann, ulieta Aranda, Lucia Pietroiusti, Mareike Dittmer, Martina Huber, Maya Minder, Mónica Bello, Nikita Dhawan, Radical Care Initiative, Ren Britton, Taskforce 2123, Uriel Orlow and many others.
E-Flux Recordings will be available from Dec 10th. Link for registration.

The new ILEA Book is out

Fresh from the printers: we are pleased to present you the latest ILEA book:

WHAT IF? Letter to the Future.
(ILEA Book 2, 204 pages. DE/EN; ISBN: 978-3-907112-87-8, CHF 20.-)
available via Vexer Verlag St.Gallen / Berlin

What if? – Freedom of thought and the power of renewal begin with this simple question. The letters to the future collected here are not prophecies but reflect a world in upheaval between hope and horror, transformation and speculation, they are also full of enthusiasm for the future. These ideas and thoughts from visionary people who call on us to use our mind and creativity to create a livable and sustainable future for everyone.

Essays: Ravi Agarwal, Annemarie Bucher, Ishita Chakraborty, Damian Christinger, Magali Dougoud, Hayat Erdoğan, Anne-Laure Franchette, Johannes M. Hedinger, Kim de l’Horizon, Josiane Imhasly, Monica Ursina Jäger, Dominik Landwehr, Joanna Leśnierowska, Paulina Lopez, Harald Welzer, André Wilkens.
Dossier: Marc Augé, Octavia E. Butler, David Graeber, Donna Haraway, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Roman Krznaric, Ursula K. Le Guin, Lesley Lokko, Achille Mbembe, Milo Rau, Nikolaj Schultz, Vandana Shiva, Edward Snowden, Rebecca Solnit, Greta Thunberg, Anne L. Tsing, Slavoj Žižek and others.
Artworks: Ravi Agarwal und Paulina Lopez, Paloma Ayala, Magali Dougoud, Hemauer/Keller, Monica Ursina Jäger, Ola Maciejewska, Sujit Mallik, Vibeke Mascini, Farah Mulla, Ernesto Neto, QUARTO, Stefanie Salzman, Renae Shadler, Andrea Todisco, Huhtamaki Wab.
Credits: Editor: ILEA, Johannes M. Hedinger; editorial work: Hendrick Krone
Design: Alltag Agentur, Philip Bührer; Layout: Rachel Kühne
Publisher: Vexer St.Gallen / Berlin; ISBN: 978-3-907112-87-8
> detailed information

We would also like to invite you to the first two book presentations:

Sat Nov 30 – 18.00
as part of the Futurological Congress, Löwenbräu Kunst, Zurich
With performative reading by Ishita Chakraborty
Program details and registration:
https://www.weareaia.ch/de/the-9th-futurological-congress/

Thu Dec 5 – 17-19.00
ZHdK Zurich University of the Arts, Room 4.T09
Toni Areal, Pfingstweidstr. 96, 8005 Zürich
With aperitif and readings by Hayat Erdogan, Damian Christinger and Johannes Hedinger

Fri Jan 24 2025 – 18.00
Vexer Verlag Berlin, Gneisenaustr. 54, 10961 Berlin
details follow