Towing Chain

History of the work

On the Aare bank in the Marzili baths, near the swimming channel, four large chain links of stone lie half buried in the gravel. Peter Gygax made the 'Treidelkette' in 2012. Each link is made of a different rock. The city lists them from left to right as Alpine limestone, Grimsel granite, Gurten sandstone and Couche Rouge.

On his website Gygax explains the choice by the origin of the stones. The Grimsel granite stands for the Oberaar in the Hasli valley, the Alpine limestone from Lauterbrunnen was taken from the Black Lütschine, the Couche Rouge comes from the Niesen where the Kander and the Simme meet, and the Gurten sandstone represents Bern. The chain thus stands for the main catchment areas of the Aare. Three of the four rocks, the sculptor writes, can be found on any gravel bank between Thun and Bern. The chain is also meant to recall the Aare as a waterway with busy boat traffic; in his words it lies at the edge of a former towpath, as if the last flood had uncovered it.

Gygax was born in 1943 in what was then the district of Oberhasli. His first wooden figures were made in Brienz with Willi Huggler; professionally he became an architect and ran his own practice with his wife. From 1980 he carved his first stone sculptures, guided by Res Reber and Godi Winkler, who trained stone sculptors at the Bern school of design. Since 2003 working in stone has had equal standing with architecture for him. From 2007 to 2018 he worked in the workshop formerly used by Walter Schnegg. He is a member of Visarte and Sculpture Network.

Gygax had already taken part in the exhibition 'Jetztkunst No 3' at the Marzili in 2011. Walking along the bank, you can compare the colours of the four links and try to match them to the rivers.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Kultur Stadt Bern, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum (offene Daten) · Peter Gygax: Treidelkette · Peter Gygax: Portrait · Peter Gygax: Ausstellungen · Wikidata: Treidelkette · Wikimedia Commons: Steinskulptur Treidelkette · Wikimedia Commons: Peter Gygax