Peter Schweri Explained

Peter Schweri
Birth Date:1939 6, df=yes
Birth Place:Dietikon, Switzerland
Death Place:Zürich, Switzerland
Nationality:Swiss
Occupation:Artist, painter, illustrator, photographer
Known For:"Zürich constructivism", "ArtCode86»

Peter Schweri (20 June 1939 in Dietikon – 25 November 2016) was a Swiss artist, painter, illustrator, photographer and from 2008 on a music composer. He is a representative of the "Zürich constructivism".[1]

Life and work

Peter Schweri was born on 20 June 1939 in Dietikon. He began his professional career as an apprentice draftsman in structural engineering from 1956 to 1959 at the Zürich College of Applied Sciences "Gewerbeschule Zürich". From 1959 to 1960, he also studied at the "Kunstgewerbeschule Zürich" where Hansjörg Mattmüller was his professor, mentor and, later, friend. From 1960 to 1961, Schweri studied graphic arts with Josef Müller-Brockmann. Due to Schweri's drawing and artistic talent, Paul Gredinger, one of the co-owners of the advertising agency GGK (Gerstner u. Kutter) hired him in 1962 to produce artwork to build GGK's cultural image. In the 1960s Schweri was extensively occupied with photography and film. He produced films for various clients in studios in Milan, Zürich and Paris. During this time, he also worked as an interior designer, produced an art film, (a forerunner of today's videoclips) for a disco in Milan and created a light show[2] (a slide show with film footage), which was shown simultaneously on three screens in the nightclub Black Out in Zürich-Kloten. From 1968 to 1976, Peter Schweri lived and worked in the village of Carona (in the Ticino region of Switzerland)[3] together with other artists who lived and worked there at the time. These artists included: Meret Oppenheim, David Weiss, Markus Raetz, Urs Lüthi, Christoph Wenger, Anton Bruhin among others. At that time, he was intensively devoted to drawing. Many of these drawings, using a variety of techniques, come from the time he spent in Carona and are in his estate. From 1974 to 1976 he organized and led the biological food store "Mr Natural"[4] in Zürich. Mr. Natural was one of the first shops selling macrobiotic and biological foods in Switzerland and was well known far beyond the Swiss borders as a forerunner of today's organic food shops.

Beginning in 1975 he traveled to Greece, Egypt and the Sudan. Later, from 1977 to 1983, he traveled extensively to Greece, France and Egypt. In Greece he stayed for one year for wind-surfing, living out of a Mercedes D190 van, which he personally customized and continued to use for travel from 1984 to 1989.[5]

Schweri was a profound thinker and an insightful researcher. In 1986, his knowledge about the existence of the "Universal Skeleton of Art" inspired him to develop the "ArtCode86".[6] To create art compositions with the use of mathematical constraints: that was, what attracted and fascinated Schweri. The director of the ETH Zurich Graphic Collection, Paul Tanner, organized in the summer of 1994 a group exhibition «Kicking boxes billiard» at the ETH Zurich. This show gave Schweri the opportunity to become acquainted with the computer scientist Jürg Gutknecht prior to the exhibition. As a result of this contact, Schweri was invited to have an office at the ETH Zurich computer center,[7] which he had from 1994 to 2001, the beginning of his blindness. Together with Jürg Gutknecht, he developed the system "Sakkara" for drafting "visual scores" for art compositions and both computer and internet-based presentations. The creation of the first dynamic constructive artwork was now possible and Schweri created a unique concept of art that he named "Dynamic Art",[8] the interactive totem. After three years of intensive studies of the functioning of the internet he was recognized in 1997 as an internet expert at the Institute for Computer Systems at the ETH in Zürich. In the same year he created his first own internet art site. From 1997 until 2001 he further developed his "Dynamic Art" on the internet. Various evolutions allowed artistic shapes to fundamentally change every second and whose duration can last from a few seconds to several billion years, depending on the constellation of the totem.

Due to a Caldwell-Luc operation, which he had undergone without anesthesia in his childhood, his vision deteriorated steadily. In 1999 his vision was just 5% of normal. Nevertheless, he continued to work on all his art systems without help and in 2001 created a new, refined "Dynamic Art"-Internet-Site. In 2002 at the age of 63, Schweri was completely blind. He died in Zürich on 25 November 2016. The artist Stella Diess manages his estate.

Project Wirsindkunst

In summer 2005 Schweri met "by chance" Stella Diess (birth name: Esther Bettina Diess) daughter of the actress Miriam Spoerri and the actor Karl Walter Diess. She is also the niece of Daniel Spoerri / Theophil Spoerri. There was an intense artistic collaboration and deep friendship between Peter Schweri and Stella Diess until Schweri's death in November 2016. From 2005 on the Schweri·Diess duo collaborated to create art under the label "Wirsindkunst" (WeAreArt), created a joint website of the same name,[9] where they exhibit works of art in the virtual space of the internet. As a blind artist, it was Schweris wish to transfer his concept of "Art with mathematical constraints" (ArtCode86) to the tonal level and to create "music compositions with mathematical constraints". In 2008 Schweri·Diess set up a custom music studio in Schweri's apartment, where they created music under the label "Wirsindmusik" (WeAreMusic). They also created a joint website of the same name[10] and presented their music compositions in the virtual space of the internet. Being totally blind Peter Schweri first had to learn the MusicWorkstation Yamaha Motif XS8 and Stella Diess had to learn the software for postproduction on the computer. A first CD with 6 compositions was released in 2009 as well as the CD "Motion – Peter Plays For Stella" (75'05, live played).[11] In 2012 the CD "Metronmotion" was composed with 8 pieces of music. Peter Schweri played the piano, researched and refined his music compositions in much the same way as he researched and refined his paintings, as a visual artist before.

Exhibitions

Awards

Paul Tanner, director of the Graphic Collection of the ETH in Zurich, and the artist David Weiss recommended Peter Schweri as a visual artist for the Zollikon 2003 art prize.[27] On 4 May 2003 the Art Prize Zollikon 2003 of the Dr. K. and H. Hintermeister-Gyger-foundation[28] [29] endowed with 10'000 Franken, was presented to Peter Schweri as part of an official celebration in the community hall of Zollikon with a laudation of Hansjörg Mattmüller.

Selected bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.sikart.ch/KuenstlerInnen.aspx?id=4003963 SIKART Lexikon zur Kunst in der Schweiz
  2. original material on 16mm film in the estate of peter schweri
  3. various correspondence with Peter Schweri – in the estate of Peter Schweri- prove his place of residence
  4. The original rental contract with Howit Immobilien-Verwaltungen, 8001 Zürich of 25 March 1974 for the extension of the contract as of 23 December 1970 with Mr Natural Food, Seilergraben 15, 8001 Zürich signed by Peter Schweri – in the estate of Peter Schweri
  5. photographic material of his travels in the estate of Peter Schweri
  6. https://books.google.com/books?id=6kHs4s-79bkC&dq=ArtCode86+schweri&pg=PA111 László Böszörményi
  7. Web site: Computer System Institute /ETH Zentrum Zürich / Former Members. 2017-10-17. German. 5 November 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131105183307/http://www.cs.inf.ethz.ch/gutknecht/Former.htm. dead.
  8. Web site: Impressum. 2018-01-01. German.
  9. Web site: WirsindKunst. Wirsindkunst. Peter Schweri · Stella Diess. 2017-10-17. Peter Schweri · Stella Diess. German.
  10. Web site: wirsindmusik. Diverse. Peter Schweri · Stella Diess. 2017-10-17. Peter Schweri · Stella Diess. de.
  11. Web site: Peter plays for stella. Peter Plays for Stella. Peter Schweri · Stella Diess. 2017-10-17. Peter Schweri. German.
  12. Web site: "Kicking boxes billiard": Exhibition, Graphische Sammlung der ETH Zürich, vom 15. Juni bis 15. Juli 1994 : Katalog. Catalogue on the Exhibition. Graphische Sammlung der ETH Zürich, 1994. 2017-10-17. Paul Tanner / Graphische Sammlung ETH Zurich. 1994. German.
  13. Web site: "Kicking boxes billiard" – Europäischer Umgang mit geometrischen Formen nach 1970 – Graphische Sammlung der ETH Zürich (Originaltext). Plakat zur Ausstellung. Graphische Sammlung der ETH Zürich, 1994. 2017-10-17. Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, ETH, Graphische Sammlung, CH. 1994. German.
  14. https://zeitungsarchiv.nzz.ch/neue-zuercher-zeitung-vom-18-06-1994-seite-54.html?hint=17947842 Nach den Spielregeln der Kunst – Eine Ausstellung in der Graphischen Sammlung der ETH
  15. Bulletin – Magazin der Eidgenössischen Technischen Hochschule Zürich – Nummer 254 Juni 1994 – Diverse Abbildungen von Peter Schweris ArtCode86
  16. SRF / Tagesschau vom 13. Juli 1994 / Painting with the computer
  17. Computer aided ... Peter Schweris Bildwelten in der ETH

    Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Montag, 4 March 1996 / Nr. 53

  18. Invitation card on the Exhibition from 28 August 1999 until 18 September 1999 in the estate of Peter Schweri
  19. Web site: Serge Stauffer – Kunst als Forschung. arttv.ch – filmbeitrag über die ausstellung. 2017-10-17. 21 February 2013. German.
  20. Web site: HelveticArchives / Archiv Serge Stauffer. GS-STAUFFER-D-01-SCHWERI Peter Schweri. 2017-10-17. German.
  21. Web site: 'Keine Zeit – Kunst aus Zürich' im Helmhaus Zürich - Stadt Zürich.
  22. Web site: Peter Schweri Dynamic Art 2018 Reloaded.
  23. Web site: Ausstellung "CARONA" at the gallery Weiss/Falk, Basel. German. 2018-05-25.
  24. Web site: Peter Schweri. fr.
  25. Web site: Facebook. Facebook.
  26. Web site: 'Mental Mask' at Suns.works gallery Zurich.
  27. letters of recommendation for Peter Schweri for the Art prize Zollikon 2003 written by Paul Tanner, director of the Graphic Collection of the ETH in Zurich in February 2003 and David Weiss, artist from November 2002 / in the estate of Peter Schweri
  28. http://www.zollikon.ch/de/aktuelles/aktuellesinformationen/?action=showinfo&info_id=355661 art prize
  29. Web site: zollikon.ch: annual report 2003, section culture. Page 10/52 PDF. . 19 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171019112241/http://www.zollikon.ch/dl.php/de/0dcnq-3zea53/04_06_16_-_Geschaeftsbericht.pdf . 19 October 2017 . dead.
  30. Web site: 'Mental Mask'.

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