It’s a new light, in the same Garden. Having been a star player of the last two editions of the Locarno Film Festival, the Locarno Garden la Mobiliare is relocating to deliver twice as much excitement. Reborn and loved at Parco Balli in 2017, the Festival’s loft is moving to the Castello Visconteo, an amazing location with an unmissable program, during Locarno72 (August 7-17). 

Art, food and relaxation: this is going to be the mood in one of the Festival attendees most beloved hangout spots, with plenty of room for surprises. Having become a regularly scheduled evening event during the Festival, the Locarno Garden will live on in a Castello with a new light, designed by the Lausanne-born artist Maya Rochat. She won the 2019 Prix Mobilière, conquered the Tate Modern in London and will put on a live show on August 12, in that very same Castello she has reinvented with lighting. An exhibition of a selection of her works will take place in the lower levels of the Castello. Also lending his touch is Kerim Seiler, who dominated the Locarno Garden la Mobiliare pavilion in the last two years and will play a part in the set design of Locarno72 as well. 

From one confirmation to the next: it’s unthinkable to turn down the sound of the collective Lugano Turba, who are curating the Garden’s music selection, a nightly blend of DJs and bands, alongside Carlotta Zarattini, Elise Lichtenstern and Tom Alemanno. 

A juicy addition to this year’s Locarno Garden laMobiliare is the pop-up restaurant conceived by the Basel-born artist and chef Sandra Knecht, a slow-food alchemist who, alongside Moritz Stiefel from Lucerne’s gourmet restaurant Stiefels Hopfenkranz, will offer a nightly culinary journey filled with taste-related excitement.

The Locarno Garden la Mobiliare is a co-creation by Swiss Mobiliar, the Locarno Film Festival and various art practitioners. “As with all our social projects, our goal is to make a positive contribution to the shaping of the future”, explains Dorothea Strauss, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Swiss Mobiliar. “After the success of the last two years, we have been looking for alternatives following a legal complaint against use of the venue. Thanks to the collaboration with the Municipality of Locarno, we are happy to propose this new project, the result of the innovative link between the values of the Festival and of la Mobiliare, at the Castello Visconteo", says Raphaël Brunschwig, COO of the Locarno Film Festival says Raphaël Brunschwig, COO of the Locarno Film Festival.

As further confirmation of the artistic sensitivity of the partnership between laMobiliare and the Locarno Film Festival, the company has devised its own campaign for Locarno72 with the photographer and filmmaker Peter Lindbergh, whose snapshots have captured the inspiration and emotions of eight cultural professionals at work. 

And to conclude, la Mobiliare will offer three public encounters with prestigious guests musing on the themes of the future, at Spazio Cinema on August 15, 16 and 17. 

Click here for details on the Locarno Garden la Mobiliare and its program.