{"id":94494,"date":"2026-06-30T09:59:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T09:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/94494\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T09:59:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T09:59:15","slug":"colorful-textile-installation-reimagines-historic-laundry-building-in-switzerland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/94494\/","title":{"rendered":"colorful textile installation reimagines historic laundry building in switzerland"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Printed textile imagery activates a former laundry building<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The former laundry building of Villa Argentina in Mendrisio, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/architecture-in-switzerland\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Switzerland<\/a>, is the subject of a temporary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/interactive-installation\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">installation<\/a> by Studio Hug in collaboration with artist Rachele Monti. Commissioned by the City of Mendrisio, the project activates the historic structure during the period preceding its planned <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/renovation-architecture-and-design\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">restoration<\/a>, establishing a temporary dialogue between the building, its history, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/public-art\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">public<\/a> realm.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Rather than concealing the existing architecture, the intervention introduces a new visual layer through a series of large-scale printed surfaces positioned behind the building\u2019s existing windows, railings, and structural elements. The facade remains fully visible, while the printed images occupy the openings to create a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/temporary-pavilions\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">temporary<\/a> architectural presence without altering the historic fabric.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Developed from Monti\u2019s ongoing research into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/photography\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">photography<\/a>, color, surface, and memory, the images reference <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/textile-and-fabric-art\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">textiles<\/a> associated with the building\u2019s former use as a laundry facility. Repetition, texture, and chromatic variation establish connections between the site\u2019s original function and its current condition as a structure awaiting restoration, using the existing architecture as the framework for the installation.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"colorful printed textile installation reimagines historic laundry building facade in switzerland - 1\" width=\"818\" height=\"614\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/waiting-surfaces-a-temporary-installation-for-the-former-laundry-building-of-villa-argentina-7-6a428.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>the former laundry building sits within the historic park of Villa Argentina | all images by Luca Piffaretti<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Temporary public art frames a historic building in transition<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The project considers the period before restoration as an active phase rather than a temporary absence. By introducing a reversible intervention, the installation, composed by Studio Hug\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.studiohug.ch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">lead designer<\/a> Giacomo Hug in collaboration with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lhcrm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">artist<\/a> Rachele Monti, examines how contemporary artistic practice can engage with historic architecture, public space, and processes of urban transformation while maintaining the legibility of the existing building.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The supporting system consists of black-painted timber frames installed within the portico using wire fixings, ensuring the intervention remains fully reversible and avoids permanent modifications to the historic structure. The installation was realized by the municipal infrastructure team of the City of Mendrisio together with Studio Emmanuel Urban.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Visible until restoration works begin, the installation accompanies the building through a transitional stage, using temporary architectural intervention to support public engagement while interpreting the site\u2019s history and future transformation.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"colorful printed textile installation reimagines historic laundry building facade in switzerland - 2\" width=\"818\" height=\"614\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/waiting-surfaces-a-temporary-installation-for-the-former-laundry-building-of-villa-argentina-4-6a428.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>large-scale printed surfaces introduce a new visual layer while preserving the nineteenth-century facade<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"colorful printed textile installation reimagines historic laundry building facade in switzerland - 3\" width=\"818\" height=\"1091\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/waiting-surfaces-a-temporary-installation-for-the-former-laundry-building-of-villa-argentina-1-6a428.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>the former laundry building is temporarily activated before its upcoming restoration<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"colorful printed textile installation reimagines historic laundry building facade in switzerland - 4\" width=\"818\" height=\"1091\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/waiting-surfaces-a-temporary-installation-for-the-former-laundry-building-of-villa-argentina-2-6a428.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>the installation unfolds behind the original railings, preserving the architecture and adding a temporary visual layer<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"colorful printed textile installation reimagines historic laundry building facade in switzerland - 5\" width=\"818\" height=\"1091\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/waiting-surfaces-a-temporary-installation-for-the-former-laundry-building-of-villa-argentina-3-6a428.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>the intervention transforms the vacant openings of the building into a temporary architectural presence<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"colorful printed textile installation reimagines historic laundry building facade in switzerland - 6\" width=\"818\" height=\"1091\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/waiting-surfaces-a-temporary-installation-for-the-former-laundry-building-of-villa-argentina-5-6a428.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>the chromatic surfaces contrast with the weathered plaster and exposed brickwork<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"colorful printed textile installation reimagines historic laundry building facade in switzerland - 7\" width=\"818\" height=\"614\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/waiting-surfaces-a-temporary-installation-for-the-former-laundry-building-of-villa-argentina-6-6a428.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>color and image occupy an existing window opening without concealing the historic fabric<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Printed textile imagery activates a former laundry building \u00a0 The former laundry building of Villa Argentina in Mendrisio,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":94495,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[4076,13658,43481,17,13659],"class_list":["post-94494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-switzerland","tag-architecture-in-switzerland","tag-interactive-installation","tag-public-art","tag-switzerland","tag-textile-and-fabric-art"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/116838476411627395","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94494"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94494\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}