SCHWARZ ≠ SCHWARZ. Black dyeing in Flux
An exhibition exploring the process of blackening, its site-specific potential and the challenges it faces today.
Curation: Wayne Switzer, Claudine Brignot
Artistic research: Pauline Agustoni
In collaboration with students of the Fashion Marketing and Sustainable Fashion Design and Management courses at the BSP Business & Law School, Berlin
4 June 2026, 6 p.m.
Opening and panel discussion with Pauline Agustoni (designer and artist), Iwan Bischof (Head of STF Swiss Textile College) and Malu Lücking (designer, studiomalu), moderated by Claudine Brignot (fashion designer and Head of the Fashion Marketing programme at the BSP Business & Law School, Berlin)
Drinks to follow
4 July and 5 July 2026
«Situated Dyeing» workshops on dyeing fabrics using local resources, led by Pauline Agustoni (designer)
Duration: 12 noon – 5 p.m.
Cost: regular price 80 CHF incl. snacks / reduced price 50 CHF for patrons and students. Participation is free of charge for residents of the city of St.Gallen.
Registration required by June 19: post@sitterwerk.ch (Please indicate your preferred date; limited to 12 participants per session)
20 September 2026, 4 p.m.
Closing event with live-action performance «Schichten – Rauschen» by kappenthuler/federer and Martin Gschwend
To mark the 20th anniversary of the Sitterwerk Foundation, the exhibition «SCHWARZ ≠ SCHWARZ» draws on the industrial history of the Sitter Valley. Where the art library and the materials archive now invite visitors to conduct research, there was once a black-dyeing plant. Drawing on this local history, the exhibition examines the methods of black dyeing as a cultural, technological, and material practice—ranging from pre-industrial and non-European techniques to contemporary chemical dyeing processes and their ecological and social impacts.
At its core is the question of what we know about black dyeing today, and what usually remains invisible in everyday life. The exhibition allows visitors to experience sensorily the immense variety of dark color shades, as well as the differences in materials and processes. It links historical archival material, material samples, and contemporary exhibits with current issues relating to sustainability, global supply chains, and environmental responsibility.
A large-scale installation makes the alchemy of the process physically tangible: by experimenting with regional resources such as gall apples, onion skins, and oak bark, shades of color of profound complexity are created. Even mud from the River Sitter is used in the mud-dyeing technique, transferring the immediate surroundings of the Sitterwerk directly onto the fabric. The knowledge gained in this way is preserved as a living resource: once the exhibition has ended, the material samples on display will be permanently added to the materials archive.
The exhibition is supported by: Straubenzeller Fonds der Ortsbürgergemeinde St.Gallen, Walter und Verena Spühl-Stiftung, Dr. Georg und Josi Guggenheim Stiftung, Stiftung Corymbo, Metrohm Stiftung, Arnold Billwiller Stiftung, and Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council. The black dyeing workshops are made possible by: City of St.Gallen / Gemeinsam wirkt. We would like to thank our partners for their in-kind donations: Vitra, Création Baumann, Jakob Schlaepfer, CHT Switzerland AG, Rigotex AG, and kt.Color.