The first time she heard about The Visual Language of Herbert Matter, Kathy Kay remembers saying, "Herbert who?"
"We were blown away. We hadn't even heard of this person," the Victoria Film Festival director said, recalling her reaction last year after screening Swiss writer, designer and filmmaker Reto Caduff's documentary on the influential modern design master.
Los Angeles-based Caduff will be a guest during the CinemaSwiss program, which includes a showcase of films from Switzerland, two free lectures by Caduff - part of the University of Victoria's Lansdowne Lectures series - and a Swiss posters exhibition.
Kay credits Charlotte Schallie, assistant professor in UVic's Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies, with inspiring the CinemaSwiss component by bringing some of the western European nation's lesser-known achievements to her attention.
"It's part of our mandate to introduce works from different countries to the general public, so it was ideal," Kay said.
In addition to Caduff's acclaimed portrait of Matter, the Swiss-born designer known for his pioneering use of photo-montages, the film showcase will include a tribute to internationally renowned Swiss ? ? artist Urs Fischer, now based in New York.
"Fischer is huge in the art world," notes Kay, whose acquisition of the Swiss film Bird's Nest, about the architectural wonders of Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, is ideally timed with Vanity Fair's February feature on their "Miami marvel" - a combined parking garage, penthouse and tropical garden they designed in Miami Beach.
Other Swiss films include 180 Degrees, Cihan Inan's drama about a vengeful gunman's impact on the lives of staff and patients at a hospital; and Urs Fischer, Iwan Schumacher's portrait of the artist of the title.
Rounding out the program are Daniel Schmid: Le chat qui pense, about the life and legacy of the Swiss film and opera director; and Max Bill: Das Absolute Augenmass, Erich Schmid's tribute to the avant-garde artist, sculptor and typographer.
The free exhibition of Swissdesigned posters that opens Feb. 8 at 730 View St. should be an education in itself.
Curated by Caduff, it presents the innovative work of Swiss poster designers in three disciplines - illustration, photo-graphics and typographic posters.
"Visitors will gain an understanding not just for Swiss products, ideas and style but also the deeper concepts of values, morals and identity - all told with a colourful, creative and influential visual language," notes Caduff.
It promises to be not just a comprehensive celebration of Swiss graphic design, with its influential grid system and sans-serif typefaces such as Univers and Helvetica, but a historical eye-opener. Many are surprised to learn, Caduff says, that there are more 20th century poster masterpieces from Switzerland than any other country, or that its roots were in the travel poster.
And while he won't be bringing samples along, Caduff can't resist pointing out other innovative Swiss design objects of the last century. The legendary Rex potato peeler, the Velcro concept, scented-tree automobile fresheners, the Hermes baby typewriter and the Bolex film camera are just a few examples of Swiss ingenuity we take for granted.
I'm thinking organizers should consider adding Toblerone chocolate bars to the concession counters.
