VERBIER, Switzerland – The children have arrived, wide eyed and full of energy. They speak no English and my schoolboy French is already failing badly. Their teachers stare at me, and I feel slightly anxious. I am hoping that my scant preparations are going to satisfy their lust for attention. I have ordered several hundred strips of card an inch wide and two feet long and lots of colored pens, some tape and a stapler — will they do the trick? Two hours pass and the children prove to be very amenable to their art teacher. My iPhone proves invaluable, as it has a ‘flags of the world’ app that all the children find fascinating. The strips of card have been made into hats and armor and wigs. All in all, a resounding success and only three more hours to go.
At last I am able to carry on with the sculpture planned for the mountain park. I have started to lay out the aluminium angle on the floor and organize my tools. It is raining heavily, and inside the tent is awash. These conditions do not worry a sculptor. We like to think of ourselves as fairly tough individuals. and are always ready to put on a ‘hair shirt’ and suffer stoically. In truth I am very relieved when Kiki says it is time for my trip up the mountain.
Cable cars are quite something… and quite terrifying…. getting on a moving cab while others mill around you heaving bikes and bags around can be nerve wracking. The locals time their entry into the cabs to perfection just before they are hoisted aloft and away into the distance. These Swiss folk know how to be cool and laid back. I take my seat and tuck myself firmly into the corner as we lurch upward seemingly hundreds of feet from the ground. The fear turns to pleasure fairly readily, however as the Alps appear around me, quite simply breathtaking. We disembark and walk around the escarpment and stand looking across an enormous valley that stretches away for miles. Mountain peaks rise on either side of us as we begin to walk the route through the sculpture park.
The park is large, and the work impressive…. ‘Where would you like to put your piece on the mountain?’ I am asked. At this point I really don’t have an answer. ‘It usually takes three trips to decide,’ Kiki says as we make our way back down.
This evening we have some visitors to the tent. Wine is served and some local history is served up — stories of Saracens in the Alps and villages only accessible by ladders that are drawn up at night. Stories of fighting cows on which large sums of money are wagered. The vineyards in micro climates created by enormous rocks that soak up the heat of the sun in the summer…. and so it goes on, Switzerland really is an interesting place.
I have managed to make good progress with the sculpture, a few 12-hour days can do wonders and I know feel confident that I can make my deadline for the vernissage.
Tomorrow, however, is our trip to Art Basel, the major art fair a mere three-hour drive away. Cannot wait!
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