From 2003 till 2005, Switzerland was the host country at the Leipzig Book Fair. The Swiss Lounge was a stage for Swiss culture, in particular its book culture. During the fair, its square made of bright paper columns floated over the exhibition of books and was visible from afar. For events, lectures, and panel discussions, this floating structure was lowered to the floor to close it off and turn it into a lounge or piazza. Its mutability and lighting conveyed a strong presence, intimacy and, at the same time, transparency. The Swiss Lounge was highly praised by Nobel Prize laureate Günther Grass after his lecture. In 2004, we moreover presented Sapientia, a drama by Roswitha von Gandersheim, with the Costume Design class of UdK Berlin and Prof. Florence von Gerkan’s students at the Swiss Lounge.
