À la recherche...
…du temps perdu: At the opening of his “lifetime hourglasses” exhibition, artist and former advertising executive Jean-Remy von Matt showed his philosophical side. Dieter Meier provided the musical accompaniment—and Breitling CEO Georges Kern delivered a fiery rebuttal.
It was a special evening - a bit "Dada", very philosophical; above all, "tout Zurich" did the honors when artist and ex-advertiser Jean-Remy von Matt presented his lifetime sandwatches on Wednesday. Together with Vivents founder Sarah Schlagenhauf, he had invited to the legendary "Cabaret Voltaire" in Spiegelgasse to present his works that stimulate reflection (what exactly it is all about, you can read here).
Fitting to the profound nature of the occasion was the supporting program: Not only did the artist himself explain the meaning of his works and say what he wants to achieve with them; no: Jean-Remy von Matt had also brought friends and companions on board, who accompanied the vernissage ... or exercised quite sharp "criticism".
Meier sings, Kern discovers the inner satirist
First, Yello icon Dieter Meier (now also famous as a winemaker, butcher and chocolatier) stepped in front of the audience and let a previously unpublished text on transience ring out, accompanied only by his own guitar playing.
Then Breitling boss Georges Kern joined in, whose company builds practically the opposite of von Matt's watches - and who was invited to "defend" them. What was presumably meant to be a satirical manuscript repeatedly clashed in the oral presentation with Kern's palpably deep conviction that watches precisely do not (as with Jean-Remy von Matt) count down life, but must be designed for eternity: "What does a father inherit if he has one of your watches, dear Jean-Remy? And what if he owns a Breitling?" That this - at times quite scathing - rebuttal was desired was evident at the latest when the two "watchmakers" embraced at the end of Kern's lecture: past and future met in the present.
At the end of the evening, the guests were able to take a look at the lifetime clocks or order one for their living room. An offer that went down well with many of the visitors - although Jean-Remy von Matt had previously admitted that his own "Carpe Vitam Clock" in the Berlin living room was covered by a cloth. His wife simply couldn't bear the sight of the passing time. Too bad? In a way, yes. "But also," says the ex-advertiser and new artist, "the most beautiful declaration of love you can imagine."
