La Fabbrica del Cioccolato Opens in Ticino with Site-Specific Works

The Fondazione La Fabbrica del Cioccolato, a new cultural institution housed in the former Cima Norma chocolate factory in Torre-Blenio, Canton Ticino, Switzerland, will inaugurate on May 21, 2016, with site-specific interventions by artists Daniel González and Anna Galtarossa. The foundation, directed by Franco Marinotti, aims to function as a laboratory for preserving and evolving artisanal practices, shifting from mass production to unique creations. González's Paper Building, a large monochrome paper facade applied with biodegradable adhesive, engages local youth and civil protection workers, while Galtarossa's Kamchatka '16 installation uses the factory's original rails to guide visitors through her collected memories. The two-year program revolves around the concept of Foreignness (estericità), a neologism describing a positive condition of non-belonging that allows original contributions to a place's heritage. The foundation deliberately avoids becoming a museum to not compete with existing institutions like LAC Lugano, instead fostering a productive, workshop-like environment.