‘Question the conventional’: Modern-day 10 Commandments artwork on the move

Ten sandstone slabs called the 10 Commandments Vol. 2 are being carted across Switzerland in a work by conceptual artists Frank and Patrik Riklin.

“Trust insanity and question the conventional” and “Create new realities and make them happen”, are among the instructions the Swiss brothers have etched into the tonne of stones, inspired by their own ways of working over the last decade.

The twins created the 100 kg slabs last year and placed them underwater in a stretch of Zurich’s old moat in the heart of the city’s financial district.

Volunteers transporting them on handcarts to the Museum of Communication in Bern. (Source: Reuters)

But after the city authorities ordered the stones to be removed, the 47-year-olds recruited 100 volunteers to transport them on handcarts to the Museum of Communication in Bern where they will go on display.

The 10-day 100 km journey is intended to create stories that bring people together in a new and different way, especially after the divisions and separation of the coronavirus pandemic.

On arrival, the stones will join an exhibition dealing with the environmental crisis.

“The whole project may sound crazy, but we want to create a discussion. Our world is in a state of change, and we want to create discussions about changing it for the better,” said Patrik.

“We respect the original 10 Commandments, but this is an extension to that, not a replacement. As artists we want to be provocative and help shape new stories for the future.”