accessibility.logo.svg.title Forum of Swiss History Schwyz

The second life of things

Stone, metal, plastic

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Exhibition

Our throw-away and consumerist society is a recent phenomenon in the history of humanity. The way people handled materials and objects used to be driven by scarcity and shortages. Up until the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century, it was normal to hand down clothes, repair tools, reuse building materials, melt down bronze objects to make new ones, and recycle glass containers. Whether they were made from fabric, metal, stone or glass – it was possible for all manner of things to have a second, third, or even infinite life. The exhibition takes a look at the methods of the circular economy past and present. Objects from the Stone Age to the present day show how their history can raise awareness of the value of things.

Guided tours

The second life of things

Guided tour for private groups

Guided tour of the exhibition "The second life of things. Stone, metal, plastic ".

Tour: 1 hour

Registration:  

2 weeks in advance

make a reservation online

Duration:

  

60 minutes; special packages can be offered on request

Group size:
 

  

max. 25 persons per tour

Cost:


 

   CHF 120 for the tour, plus a reduced admission fee of CHF 10 per person.
Free entrance for children up to 16 years.
Opening hours:   Tuesdays - Sundays between 10.00 am – 17.00 pm

accessibility.sr-only.person_card_info Contact

Forum of Swiss History Schwyz
+41 41 819 60 11 ForumSchwyz@nationalmuseum.ch

Schools

The second life of things – Introductory tour

The second life of things – Introductory tour

Guided tour of the exhibition «The second life of things. Stone, metal, plastic».

Duration: 1 hour
Guided tours are free of charge for school classes from Switzerland.

For guided tours and indipendents visits for school groups, please contact us 14 days in advance.

Entrance and guided tours are free of charges for Swiss school classes.
 

To the registration form

accessibility.sr-only.person_card_info Reservations desk

Forum of Swiss History Schwyz
+41 41 819 60 10 forumschwyz@nationalmuseum.ch

openinghours.days.long.tuesday Open till openinghours.days.long.wednesday openinghours.and openinghours.days.long.friday openinghours.openfromto.long

Wanted! Repaired, repurposed or upcycled things

Light fitting in the Botanist Restaurant in Newcastle

Lamp made from old glass in a restaurant in Newcastle.

For the exhibition ‘The second life of things. Stone, metal, plastic’ at the Forum of Swiss History Schwyz, we are looking for your creatively repaired, upcycled or reworked personal everyday objects. Send us a photo of an object that you have given a second life, together with a short explanatory sentence. The photo will be displayed anonymously in a digital showcase in the exhibition.

Send a photo

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By sending us the photo and text, you agree to their publication. No personal details will be published. The SNM reserves the right not to publish photos or inappropriate content.

By clicking on "send" you confirm that you have read and agree to the privacy policy.

Giving old stones a new lease of life

Jacqueline Perifanakis

27. August 2024

In antiquity and the Middle Ages, people used stones from old buildings in new structures, a practice that even continued into the modern era. Many things were destroyed by this practice – while others only exist today because of it.

Wiederverwendete Bausteine, sogenannte «Spolien», in der Ausstellung «Das zweite Leben der Dinge» im Landesmuseum Zürich.

Putting the bins out – the Ochsner way

Thomas Weibel

11. April 2024

For generations, the clanking sound of bins being emptied was an everyday morning sound in Switzerland. The noise came from the hot-dip galvanised steel rubbish bins designed by resourceful Zurich entrepreneur Jakob Ochsner.

Ochsnerkübel der Stadt Basel, 1930er-Jahre.

The energy source from the moors

Reto Bleuer

21. November 2023

The threat of an energy shortage is nothing new to Switzerland, where demand has repeatedly exceeded supply over the years. However, one energy source that has always proved especially popular in times of crisis is now off limits – peat.

All blog posts

Media

Dear media representatives

The press kit and a selection of images can be downloaded here from 22 February 2024, 12:30

 

accessibility.sr-only.person_card_info Press contact Forum of Swiss History Schwyz

Forum of Swiss History Schwyz
+41 41 819 60 18 medien.fsg@nationalmuseum.ch

Exhibition imprint

  • Overall management Denise Tonella
  • Project direction Daniela Schwab
  • Curators and Concept Jacqueline Perifanakis, Daniela Schwab
  • Public relations and marketing Karin Freitag-Masa, Conny Lüönd
  • Cultural Services and Museum Education Isabelle Marcon Lindauer, Laura Rompietti, Olivia Derzi
  • Scenography & Technical management SKENO Kommunikation im Raum ° Szenografie, Mik Gruber
  • Exhibition graphic LDSGN Designstudio, Thomas Lehmann
  • Illustrations Claudia Blum Kabeljau, Zürich
  • Advertising graphic Manu Beffa Graphic Design & Art Direction
  • Project controlling Sabrina Médioni
  • Exhibition construction Roland Reichlin, Marc Hägeli
    AF Abbruch & Forst AG, Makro Art AG, Marty Schreinerei GmbH, skyPixX GmbH, Touchwood GmbH, Utiger Maler AG
  • Conservation and mounting of objects Elke Mürau, Leonie Baumberger, Sarah Longrée, Jürg Mathis, Anna Jurt, Carolin Muschel, Ulrike Rothenhäusler, Alexandra Schorpp, Tino Zagermann
  • Loans department Laura Mosimann, Claudio Stefanutto, Samira Tanner
  • Object logistics and assembly David Blazquez, Christian Affentranger, Simon d’Hollosy, Reto Hegetschweiler, Aymeric Nager
  • Photography Jörg Brandt
  • Picture library Andrea Kunz, Fabian Müller
  • IT | Web Alex Baur
  • Media stations Alex Baur, Thomas Bucher, Ueli Heiniger, Pasquale Pollastro, Danilo Rüttimann, Tweaklab AG
  • Translations Marie-Claude Buch-Chalayer, Bill Gilonis, Marco Marcacci, Laurence Neuffer, Nigel Stephenson

We thank:

  • Silke Langenberg, Orkun Kasap, ETH Zürich
  • Walter Milan †

Items generously loaned by

  • Museum Augusta Raurica
  • Museum der Kulturen Basel
  • Ufficio dei beni culturali, Bellinzona
  • Defne Çetinkaya, Zürich

Partner