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the colour artist ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:03:26 +0800

The Geneva artist, Roger Pfund, combines art with security technology; for more than 30 years he has been designing financial securities certificates, Reka cheques, posters, exhibitions and museums. As one of the leading specialists in the design of bank notes, Roger Pfund designed the Swiss passport. The level of perfection of his work has set new standards in the graphics industry. Currently, he is working on the passports and bank notes of a number of other countries. The artist transforms ordinary everyday objects into small art works. He gets much of his inspiration from painting, and many of his pictures give indications of his commitment to human rights. For instance, Roger Pfund designed the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva.

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http://www.rogerpfund.ch

the pulsating lakeside promenade ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:02:42 +0800

Sweating bodies dancing themselves into ecstasy. Revealing costumes in gaudy colours. No, this is not the carnival in Rio but the Street Parade in temperate Zurich. In 1992, student Marek Krynski organised a "Demonstration for Love, Peace, Freedom, Generosity and Tolerance“. Since then the Techno Parade has been held at the beginning of August every year, with a different motto each time.
It started as a small procession with about 1000 participants and soon developed into a major event. In 2001, a million ravers danced their socks off in the streets of Zurich.

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http://www.streetparade.ch

a literary giant ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:01:46 +0800

Swiss writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt is a fixed star in the Swiss literary firmament. His genre-subversive detective novels continue to sell in their millions and are part of the literary canon in German-speaking secondary schools. "The Visit" (1956) made him world-famous. Together with "Physicists" (1962) it is one of the most-performed German plays. These exemplary and grotesque comedies pose the question of individual freedom and guilt in a bewilderingly complex world of anonymous power systems. Again and again, these thought-provoking works trigger controversial discussions.

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http://www.centreduerrenmatt.ch

artistic constructions ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:00:57 +0800

Swiss architecture with its outstanding design, perfect execution, sustainability and durability is in demand throughout the world today - including stadia for the Olympic Games in Beijing. Herzog & de Meuron of Basel, winners of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, designed the Olympic stadium, known as the Birds Nest, which has a capacity of almost 100,000. It is in this newest landmark in Beijing that the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games will be held in summer 2008.

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http://www.archinform.net

the loveliest view ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:00:09 +0800

A sense of the sublimity of the mountains inspired the building of the chapel of Santa Maria degli Angeli on Monte Tamaro, high over the Ticino lakes. In this striking location, Mario Botta has created an overall work of art that must be reckoned as one of the most successful examples of contemporary church architecture. Botta says a great deal with minimal means. His work is characterised by beautiful design, perfect execution, sustainability and permanence. Ticino architect Botta designs buildings all over the world and also contributes to the training of young architects in Switzerland at the Accademia di architettura in Mendrisio.

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http://www.botta.ch
http://www.swissworld.org

the best in script ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:52:51 +0800

the best in script

Helvetica fonts
Few countries can claim so many elegant forms of writing as their own as Switzerland.
‘Helvetica’ by Max Miedinger is one of the most frequently used fonts in the world; Univers and Frutiger by Adrian Frutiger are considered classics and their creator as one of the most important font designers of the 20th century. His clear and elegant print styles are everywhere to be seen, even if the great master of typography himself prefers to remain in the background. OCR-B font has been declared a world standard and is still used today on payment slips and cheques. Together with Cornel Windlin and Ruedi Baur, Frutiger and Medinger represent the great Swiss tradition in the world of printing script.

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http://www.gutenbergmuseum.ch

the most exciting perspectives ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:52:04 +0800

Video installations, sculptures and photography are among the favourite forms of expression of artist duo Peter Fischli and David Weiss. In their work, these two precise observers manage again and again to attract the attention of spectators and to enable them to share their curiosity and their sense of the miraculous nature of all things. With wit and irony they collect impressions and objects from the present and then depict them in slightly modified form. In 2006 they were awarded the art prize of the Roswitha Haftmann Foundation, the most prestigious European art award.

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http://www.roswithahaftmann-stiftung.com

the timeless elegance ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:50:07 +0800

Picture: Akris

the timeless elegance

Clothes by Akris
Switzerland produces exclusive fashion wear. Since 1922 the workshops of the Akris company have been producing creations of unmistakeable simplicity and elegance for style-conscious people throughout the world. Its clients include prominent persons such as Susan Sarandon, Condoleezza Rice and Rania Queen of Jordan. The hallmarks of this family company are quality, authenticity and consistency. Akris has deep roots in the history of Swiss embroidery. At the end of the nineteen nineties the company was elected to membership of the exclusive "Fédération française de la couture, du prêt-à-porter des couturiers et des créateurs de mode".

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http://www.akris.ch

the most creative show ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:49:17 +0800

The traditional Art Basel exhibition and its US offshoot Art Basel Miami Beach are the major international centres for modern and contemporary art. The New York Times has named the Basel art fair as the Olympics of the art world, and Newsweek magazine has described it as the "most influential fair for contemporary art." Over 300 galleries from all over the world exhibit here and more than 2,000 artists are represented. In the summer, the Swiss city bordering France and Germany is transformed into a mecca for collectors, curators, art dealers, art lovers and artists.

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http://www.artbasel.ch

small successes ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:47:03 +0800

For example Alexandra Trkola. For her work in the field of AIDS research, Professor Trkola of Zurich University received the Scientist Award of the American Elizabeth Glaser Foundation. The value of the award is about USD 700,000. It is one of the main awards in the field of HIV and AIDS research. Alexandra Trkola's work focuses on the characterisation of antibodies capable of inhibiting the HI virus, thus creating the conditions for the development of a vaccination against HIV and AIDS. This award is further evidence of the excellence of medical research at Zurich University, which has already received two Nobel Prizes for medicine.

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http://www.med.unizh.ch/

the damped oscillation ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:46:01 +0800

Bridges have always connected people. Alpine environments such as Switzerland provide particular challenges which is why this country has consistently set new standards in bridge building. For example the research institute Empa developing a technology to prevent bridges from dangerous cable vibrations. This “smart” system adjusts optimally the damping force to the actual vibration amplitudes and stay cables properties. Also, this system may be called failsafe since the dampers produce a certain amount of damping during a power break down. Hence, it comes as little surprise that the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge, the Sutong Bridge over the Yangtse, opted for this system to get maximum safety.

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http://www.empa.ch

bone innovations ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:45:16 +0800

Switzerland is a leader in the field of medical technology. The know-how often comes from the watch-making industry or, in the case of WoodWelding SA, the wood industry. This
young company has developed a durable bonding technique, known as WoodWelding® , that uses ultrasonic energy in fixation solutions for porous materials such as wood or bone. It can be applied in the treatment of fractures and degenerative illnesses in human limbs, and has already been successfully used in cranio-maxillofacial applications.

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http://www.woodwelding.com

technology in space ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:44:32 +0800

The seventh NASA mission to Mars aims to look for conditions which could have contributed to the development of life on Earth. A laboratory on wheels has been developed with Swiss technology for this task on the Red Planet in 2009. The Swiss contribution is an unconventional laser developed by the new firm Alpes Laser AG of Neuchatel. This laser will investigate the chemical structure of various gases to find out whether there are traces of life on Mars.

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http://www.alpeslasers.ch

the Swiss at the United Nations University ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:43:38 +0800

Switzerland has always placed a lot of emphasis on education and research. Ultimately the prosperity of our country is based on this. Swiss education and research institutions enjoy a solid reputation around the world. An indication of this is the appointment by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon of Konrad Osterwalder, the long-time rector of the ETH Zurich, as the new rector of the United Nations University in Tokyo. The UN University consists of a global network of three research and training centres which deal with urgent global problems and promote the exchange of knowledge.

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http://www.ethz.ch

science in the service of security ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:42:54 +0800

Switzerland is convinced that global security is possible only through international cooperation. The Spiez Laboratory contributes to this cooperation as one of the worldwide leading institutions in the sphere of atomic, biological and chemical (ABC) weapons. Its scientific staff work at home and abroad in peace promotion and human and environmental safety. They participate in arms control and disarmament missions of international organizations and assume tasks for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

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http://www.labor-spiez.ch

the sugar specialist ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:42:03 +0800

The chemist Peter Seeberger and his team at the ETH Zurich have developed a machine that automatically synthesizes carbohydrates. This new method helps in the production of synthetic sugar-based vaccines and makes an important contribution to the development of new kinds of vaccines against such diseases as malaria. In recognition of his work, the Zurich chemistry professor has been awarded the 2007 Körber Prize for European Science. The 750,000 euro cash award honours European scientists for applied and pioneering research.

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http://www.seeberger.ethz.ch

a family that breaks records ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:41:17 +0800

Exploring new horizons is a tradition in the Piccard family: Grandfather, Auguste, invented the pressure cabin and was the first human being to enter the stratosphere, reaching an altitude of 16,000 metres in 1931. His son, Jacques, explored the ocean depths and dived in a bathyscaphe more than 10,000 metres into the world’s deepest ocean trench. Following in the family tradition, grandson, Bertrand, made the first non-stop voyage around the world in a balloon in 1999. Now the youngest of the pioneer family is working with scientists at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne on a new project: Solar Impulse. This time instead of being carried around the world by wind power, he is developing the technology to complete the voyage in a vehicle propelled by solar energy.

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http://www.bertrandpiccard.com

the summit of solar energy ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:40:25 +0800

Picture: BKW/Sol-E Suisse AG

the summit of solar energy

Assembly work in freezing cold conditions
At the beginning of 2008, the highest solar energy plant in the world officially started operating on the Jungfraujoch (3,500 m). The first plant produces about 500 kilowatt hours of energy, which is enough to power the electro-technical installations for the international Lauberhorn ski race. Further construction work will shortly be completed. During the test phase it was discovered that the specific energy yield at this altitude is about 70 per cent greater than for comparable solar energy plants in the Swiss plateau. The world's highest solar en-ergy plant thus also contributes to energy and climate research, as the high alpine research station Jungfraujoch has done since 1931.

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http://www.ifjungo.ch

precision in space ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:39:38 +0800

From 2010 on, the European navigation system Galileo will start operating. Its precision beats that of the American Global Positioning System and the Russian Glonass. It is no surprise that the satellites rely on Swiss precision technology. The two Rubidium atomic clocks and two hydrogen maser clocks were developed by the Neuchatel Cantonal Observatory and manufactured for use in space by Temex Time in Neuchatel. The Rubidium atomic clock would lose one second accuracy in 800,000 years, while the hydrogen maser would be one second out after four million years.

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ec.europa.eu/dgs/

the climate expert ... no reply

sai — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:37:49 +0800

When Al Gore and the Geneva-based Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change received the Nobel Peace Prize, Swiss climate expert Thomas Stocker also had cause for celebration. As an expert and member of the UN Climate Council, he and his team have been carrying out climate research for many years and made their contribution to the award. Stocker is professor of Climate and Environmental Physics at Bern University, and is one of the world's leading climate experts. As the main author of the Working Group I report, he played a major role in the Fourth UN Climate Report.

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http://www.climate.unibe.ch