A collaboration between Vitra, Fondation Beyeler and the municipalities of Weil am Rhein and Riehen, Rehberger-Weg is a 5km walk punctuated by works by German artist Tobias Rehberger, developed over the past year and unveiled during Art Basel.
From Switzerland to Germany, the ’24 Stops’ walk connects the two countries and cultural institutions, taking visitors through country roads, across a river and along vineyards, pastures and fields.
Rehberger was commissioned to create 24 signposts along the way, and his approach was to reimagine the outdoors and public furniture vernacular, giving new shapes and colours to traditional objects such as trash cans, bird houses, street lamps and even trees. The artist has simplified shapes, making them bi-dimensional and bold, dotting the natural landscape with almost cartoon-like objects that attract attention and offer a new point of view on the walk.
Swiss and German identity, and the concept of crossing borders, are at the heart of the artist’s work on the project, which was created within the framework of IBA Basel 2020, an initiative that aims at strengthening the connections between Germany, Switzerland and France in the border region.
The project comes with the support of Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch, who have set up shop at the Cuckoolus, a checkpoint also designed by Rehberger and placed at the border. Visitors stopping by will be able to buy the limited-edition conceptual watch created in collaboration between Swatch and Rehberger, with arms of equal sizes that defy traditional time-reading.
