Branded Swiss: The Best of Swiss Products

The BSI Album project is holding an exhibition entitled Branded "Swiss" at BSI branches in Bellinzona, Chiasso, Geneva, Locarno, Lugano, St. Moritz and Zurich. It features objects made in Switzerland, which Riccardo Blumer has found, selected and finally put together in an exclusive collection that includes more than 80 household items produced industrially or traditionally between 1930 and 1970.

The items on display, classified in a collection by Riccardo Blumer, aim to depict the culture of Swiss daily life, based around the need for durability, solidity and efficiency. In modern times, Swiss craftsmanship and industry have made a name for themselves worldwide for their production quality. As a result, the "Made in Switzerland" label has become synonymous with quality and perfection, especially in the production of timepiece mechanisms and photographic optics, amongst other things. The production brand is recognisable in symbols such as the flag with the cross, the crossbow and the inscription "Made in Switzerland", often accompanied by the patent number. The exhibition, presented by BSI, includes commonly used objects, generally designed for the end user, such as irons, scales, sewing machines, children's games, boots and wooden sledges - all objects that reflect the typical Swiss lifestyle at that time. In these days of globalisation, they are no longer to be found on shop shelves, and large chain stores have taken the place of the local shops that sold them. Riccardo Blumer does not collect and own these items for the sake of nostalgia or revisionism, but rather to gain direct knowledge of the cultural and historical development which influences who we are.



For several years now, BSI has been exhibiting valuable collections in the display windows of its branches in Switzerland as part of the BSI Album project. The displays act as catalogues: as viewers walk past the display windows, they can immerse themselves in the collections, as if they were leafing through an album from earlier times. A richly-illustrated, detailed bilingual catalogue and guide is produced for each exhibition. There are three main strands to the BSI Album project: culture and memory (archaeology and related subjects), travel and "adventures of the spirit" (ethnology and civilisations) and private treasures (watches, jewellery and similar). The Made in Switzerland collection belongs to the first of these strands.

This Branded "Swiss" collection of commonly used objects designed to facilitate people's daily lives tells the story of technological development dictated by the ethno-cultural environment in which humankind lives and works, as explained by Luigi Zanzi, teacher of historical methodology at the University of Pavia, in his preface to the Album. Thus, the Swiss brand reflects the environmental source of the tools themselves and helps to create a specific Swiss identity and way of working focused on precision, durability and functionality.



Riccardo Blumer works both in architecture and design, collaborating with internationally renowned companies such as Alias, Artemide, Desalto, Poliform, Ycami, B&B and Flou, as well as planning public and private interiors, such as the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and the settings for exhibitions in the Triennale di Milano and the Musee du President Jacques Chirac. He also teaches architectural planning and design at the USI - Architecture Academy in Mendrisio. The collection on display at BSI is the result of his personal interest in cultural history, which prompted him to research, study and select objects and tools that could provide a direct insight into what it means to be Swiss.

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