Le Passage de Chippisconsists in revealing how a small agricultural village, Chippis, has been transformed and re-transformed during the life cycle of the Alusuisse aluminum production plant.
The establishment and implementation of Alusuisse resulted in an influx not only of workers from many neighboring villages, but also of engineers and managers from Zurich. The population of Chippis has grown in size and has undergone significant changes.
The original identity of Chippis was not maintained during the industrialization process. Different social classes were created, multicultural environments began to emerge, Catholics and Protestants coexisted and new buildings and stylish houses were built next to the traditional peasant houses.
However, segregation between different groups can easily be seen. Over the years, the factory was sold and resold to foreign companies.
Tracy Lim
Tracy Lim studied fine arts at Seoul University in South Korea with a specialization in Asian art. Subsequently she received her Master’s degree in Visual Art from the École Cantonale d’Art du Valais (ECAV) in Sierre in 2014. She received the 2014 Bea Foundation for Young Artists Award for her thesis work “The Passage of Chippis”.
Tracy Lim has participated in various exhibitions in Switzerland, among others at the Kunstmuseum Thun, the Triennale du Valais, the Manoir de la Ville de Martigny, etc. She draws, paints and creates installations. Her interest in architecture, the relationship of man with his environment and oral histories are the common threads in her artistic work.
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Photo credit: Tracy Lim, The Passage of Chippis, 2014