[...] His public installations have an almost oxymoronic quality as they interfere yet also seamlessly integrate within their environment. [...]
[...] Nicolas Vionnet opens up a field of tension with his playful irritations. His public installations have an almost oxymoronic quality as they interfere yet also seamlessly integrate within their environment.
Themes of change and artificiality are approached in his work, as he highlights ironies within modern aesthetics; such as in his creation of a man-made grass island, placed within an already pre-fabricated park. Through a fundamental confrontation with the history of the space, Vionnet leads to a subtler and more precise intervention. [...]
Artist Profile, Nicolas Vionnet
[...] My works are often restrained, unobtrusive and directly embedded in a landscape – the interventions would not be readable without a specific surrounding. So it is always about dialogue, the positioning, interaction and what could possibly come out of these situations. This forces the viewer to perceive the environment from a new perspective. Generally I would like to underline that I am interested in astonishment and amazement. For a few seconds the viewer has to step out of his daily routine, he has to forget what is happening around him…this is one valuable service art can do! [...]
Interview Nicolas Vionnet
[...] For the mentioned work Aus Versehen I installed a coin operated telescope on a beautiful square in front of an old lime tree in the heart of the old town in Zurich. Of course one does not find telescopes in the middle of a city and also not so close to an object that you no longer can observe. However, passersby were confused and did not know whether this is a joke. Actually, most of them used the telescope and examined the lime tree as if under a microscope. [...]
Interview Nicolas Vionnet
MADE IN MIND MAGAZINE / Issue 2 / Autumn 2014
[...] The medium suddenly no longer stood in the foreground. Rather, in my research I consistently started from the location itself. What kind of story does a place have, what function does it have in everyday life and how is it used by people?
These and similar questions led me, at the beginning of a project, to have no idea what materials I would eventually be working with. So I sometimes surprised myself and created works that were almost alien to me; this was a refreshing experience. [...]
Interview, Nicolas Vionnet
[...] The idea of C'era una volta il West is linked to a childhood memory. I already liked these flute kettles as a child and somehow found them incredibly funny. I always found it surprising that the kettles do not just give off a simple acoustic signal but produce very individual sounds...as if they are singing. When I had the idea to do a work with flute kettles two years ago, I was especially interested in the fusion of the sounds. It immediately reminded me of a dialogue. Like a conversation between two people, there are moments where the dialogue is harmonious, but also moments where a tension suddenly may arise. [...]
Interview, Nicolas Vionnet
