Get to know me ^-^
Today is already my third day at HEK, where I’ve recently joined the education team. Education is an important part of HEK’s work, creating its own formats and contributions that explore questions at the intersection of media, art and society. As an art educator, I’m especially interested in making cultural institutions more accessible and creating opportunities for people to take part, regardless of their background or prior knowledge.
As one of my first tasks, Isabella Maund, who also works in education at HEK, asked me to introduce myself through a selection of images from the Public Domain Image Archive (check it out!). I’m usually not particularly keen on talking about myself, but I liked the idea of giving people a more personal impression of the person behind the name.
So, I’m Fabienne Schoch, and this summer I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Art and Design Education at the HGK in Basel. Before that, I studied Art History and Media Studies at university, but over time I realised that I was much more drawn to practical ways of engaging with art. That was also one of the reasons why, in October 2024, I founded the NEXUS Collective together with four fellow students and, more importantly, friends. Since then, the collective has become a big part of my life. We shared an urge to become active, to try doing things differently and, above all, to bring people together.
NEXUS works across disciplines, currently using food as a medium and a tool for engaging with political, social and ecological questions. My own interests lie particularly in the transformative potential of collective practices and in creating spaces that encourage exchange, encounter and connection.
Rather than turning this post into a boring list of things from my CV, I thought it would be much nicer to introduce myself through a few images I chose intuitively:
“Quaint Dessert Dishes” in American Homes and Gardens (1911)
I chose this image because I love animals, and animals made out of fruit immediately remind me of my childhood. At kindergarten, my teacher would sometimes carve crocodiles out of carrots or cucumbers and swans out of apples during our breaks. Apparently, this made a lasting impression on me, because I remember surprisingly little else from that time. Maybe it even had something to do with my later love of cooking and food.
East of the Sun and West of the Moon, illustrated by Kay Nielsen (1922 edition)
was especially drawn to this illustration because of its “gloomy thick wood”. Forests have always played an important role in my life. I feel much more at ease among trees and bushes than surrounded by buildings and streets. The forest is a place where I can slow down, clear my head and regain a sense of hope. I’d even go so far as to say that, in another life, I must have been a woodland animal. Probably a squirrel: well organised, but often slightly stressed. That’s when the forest helps.
Seaweed from Charles F. Durant’s Algae and Corallines of the Bay & Harbor of New York (1850)
I chose this image because I’ve been fascinated by the relationship between art and science for quite some time. For my Bachelor’s thesis, together with Mira Mercan, who is also part of the NEXUS Collective, I explored microorganisms and the essential role they play both in fermentation and in healthy ecosystems.
Through an edible exhibition, we wanted to draw attention to these tiny, invisible actors that shape so much of the world around us. If I were to start another degree, it would probably be in environmental science.
Images from Japanese Design Magazine Shin-Bijutsukai (1902)
I was immediately drawn to this beautiful illustration from the Japanese design magazine Shin-Bijutsukai, especially the creatures decorating the vase. I also really like the reduced, graphic quality of the image.
It probably appeals to me for the same reason I enjoy tattooing from time to time: when I design flashes, I tend to prefer simple forms that still have something slightly strange or mystical about them.
As a new member of the education team, I’m excited to see what challenges and possibilities lie ahead, how I can bring my own ideas into the development of new formats, and what I’ll learn through exchanging ideas with the HEK community.
And finally, here are two opportunities to meet IRL:
- Family Day HEK x KHBL during Kunsttage on Sun. 30. August, 14:00 – 17:00 at HEK
- NEXUS Event “Encountering Localities” on Sat. 22. August, 14:00 – 18:00 at the Bäumlihof field by the Plankton vegetable cooperative in Riehen. The event takes place as part of the exhibition Angelica Mesiti. Reverb at Museum Tinguely. Register here: nexus.collective@immerda.ch, Deadline 17.8.26
I’d be very happy to see some new and familiar faces there :^)