About the project

Sonnenberg is an artistically-minded series of documentary images that shows the incipient metamorphosis and the fragile nature of the transformation of Villa Sonnenberg. The 250-year-old landmarked building at the foot of Lenzburg’s castle hill has been extensively restored over the past three years. The artist Anja Furrer has observed and explored the house and surroundings with her camera, a place which she has known since her childhood and which was once a country estate, family residence, restaurant and artists’ retreat.

The synthesis of traces from different periods makes the house special. The photographs reveal how all eras of the house manifest themselves in the peeling layers of wallpaper as well as the marks, shadows and holes in the floors. The surrounding garden encroaches closely on the house. In addition, small pieces of wallpaper, wall fragments and objects have been carefully preserved and photographed in a meticulous, quasi scientific manner. The exhibition is supported by Stiftung Villa Sonnenberg.