STEINA

STEINA is an installation by David Zehnder consisting of five engraved stones, created specifically for the Twingi Art Exhibition in the Binntal Nature Park in Valais, Switzerland. The annual exhibition presents contemporary art in dialogue with the alpine landscape of the Twingi Gorge.

The installation pays tribute to the living creatures that have lost their lives in the gorge over the years. It refers to a particularly dangerous section of the gorge known as “Gäh Tod.”

For the engravings, Zehnder drew inspiration from traditional house signs and ownership marks used by the Walser people, as well as runestones and gravestones. These historical forms of marking and remembrance serve as the starting point for his own visual language, exploring themes of memory, mortality and the relationship between humans and the landscape.