Local artist Kurt Hutterli (pictured far left) recently attended the premiere of his play Centovalli-Centoricordi (One Hundred Valleys, One Hundred Memories) in Switzerland. The play is performed in walkabout incorporating both indoor and outdoor locations, live musical performances, and even a train ride! Below, Kurt outlines the plot of this fanciful production, and shares some photos.
Centovalli-Centoricordi is inspired by local history and stories of the Swiss “Hundred Valleys” near the Italian border.
In 1853 a young man leaves his fiancée to emigrate to California, where he joins a family from the Centovalli which became a pioneer of the California wineindustry. He soon forgets his Sofia and marries the owner of a dancing school and an ice cream parlor.
In 1874 a well known photographer takes pictures of the poor little boys who are forced to sweep the narrow chimneys in northern Italy by their brutal bosses. He hopes to make a strong statement against child labour forbidden by law in Ticino in 1873.
Other storylines include:
Four witches who live in the Centovalli mountains stop the train and try to change it into a flying vehicle. A priest visit the village where he was born in 1722. Then he returns to Venice where he lives as a controversial poet.
A young woman falls in love with a smuggler and sends a customs officer chasing her sweetheart into the wrong direction. She has to defend herself against a “famous” robber before being able to marry her beloved smuggler who in the meantime became a custom officer himself.
And there is Discobal (performed by the famous clown, Dimitri), a warrior from Carthage who for 2000 years has been in search of his beloved warrior elephant, whom he had lost, when Hannibal led his army over the Alps. (Clown Dimitri was performing with elephant Sandry for the Swiss National Circus Knie a few years ago.)
Local artist Kurt Hutterli (pictured far left) recently attended the premiere of his play Centovalli-Centoricordi (One Hundred Valleys, One Hundred Memories) in Switzerland. The play is performed in walkabout incorporating both indoor and outdoor locations, live musical performances, and even a train ride! Below, Kurt outlines the plot of this fanciful production, and shares some photos.
Centovalli-Centoricordi is inspired by local history and stories of the Swiss “Hundred Valleys” near the Italian border.
In 1853 a young man leaves his fiancée to emigrate to California, where he joins a family from the Centovalli which became a pioneer of the California wineindustry. He soon forgets his Sofia and marries the owner of a dancing school and an ice cream parlor.
In 1874 a well known photographer takes pictures of the poor little boys who are forced to sweep the narrow chimneys in northern Italy by their brutal bosses. He hopes to make a strong statement against child labour forbidden by law in Ticino in 1873.
Other storylines include:
Four witches who live in the Centovalli mountains stop the train and try to change it into a flying vehicle. A priest visit the village where he was born in 1722. Then he returns to Venice where he lives as a controversial poet.
A young woman falls in love with a smuggler and sends a customs officer chasing her sweetheart into the wrong direction. She has to defend herself against a “famous” robber before being able to marry her beloved smuggler who in the meantime became a custom officer himself.
And there is Discobal (performed by the famous clown, Dimitri), a warrior from Carthage who for 2000 years has been in search of his beloved warrior elephant, whom he had lost, when Hannibal led his army over the Alps. (Clown Dimitri was performing with elephant Sandry for the Swiss National Circus Knie a few years ago.)
Kurt Hutterli is an Oliver artist known for his whimsical three-dimensional installations created from found objects. His artwork brings smiles of delight, such as his light and breezy “Falling Leaves” submission to the 2009 Fall Art Show and Sale and his reinterpretation of Lauren Harris’ Mount Lefroy as a rusted car hood. Now Hutterli has submitted a collection entitled “Three Objects Suggesting the Presence of Woodelves” to the Re-Vision juried show at the Granville Island Hotel, Vancouver, October 2 – 3.
Is that just an antler stuck in a piece of wood? Or might it be an elf’s ear or hand or horn peeking out from behind a tree? Or a playful arrangement of objects left by some sprite to amaze or confuse a wayfarer in the woods?
Here is what the organizers of the Revision exhibit have to say:
“Revision – the art of recycling is a two day juried show featuring artwork made from recycled materials: anything reused, recycled, salvaged, scrounged or found – be it useful, beautiful, odd, playful, or thought provoking.
We hosted our first show in October 2007 to celebrate the Canada-wide Waste Reduction Week, and to provide a showcase for British Columbia artists using recycled materials as a major component in their work. We are dedicated to advancing public awareness in issues of sustainability by featuring art of high quality by artists who embrace recycling in their creative process. We hope you will come and enjoy the show.” (www.revision-theartofrecycling.com)
ReVision – the Art of RecyclingGranville Island Hotel, 1253 Johnston Street, Vancouver, BCSaturday & Sunday, October 2 & 3, 201011:00 am to 5:00 pm
The Oliver Community Arts Council wishes Kurt the best at the ReVision exhibit. But your best chance to meet Hutterli is by attending the OCAC Fall Art Show and Sale in Oliver this weekend. See articles elsewhere in this website about the Fall Art Show and Sale!
Have comments or questions about Hutterli’s work? Submit them to olivercac@gmail.com and we’ll pass them on to the artist.
Want to see more of Kurt’s work? Take a look at The RipOffs Artists article in August 2010 on this website about their Lawren Harris “Mount LeFroy” multimedia exhibit. Scroll down to see photos, or search the archives list under “Hutterli” or “RipOff”. Good work, Kurt!
Photo Credits: Kurt Hutterli (art) and Penelope Johnson (portrait)