Making-Of

The participatory process

Heimat is an exhibition made with the people of Mitholz rather than about them. It is the first time that a major exhibition at the museum has been realized with the involvement of one of the associated parties. This jointly planned exhibition came about in conjunction with the Mitholz project group, which consists of seven people between 30 and 65 years old. They all live, grew up, or work in the village, and in some cases their families own houses there too. What they share is their strong emotional connection to this place.

The members of the project group met representatives of the Alpine Museum nine times in Mitholz between December 2020 and August 2022. In the first year the project participants exchanged ideas that would ultimately become the concept for the exhibition. From 2022 onwards they were employed on a freelance basis, working on the contents of aspects such as the Mitholz Archive. What does Mitholz sound like? What are its colours? Which moods and images would be missing in a different Heimat? The participants shared their memories, fears, and hopes for the future with great candour.

_{Fotos: Olivier Rüegsegger}