«Bündner Ikonen revisited – Schellenursli und Selina Chönz»

Heidi, Schellenursli and Jürg Jenatsch have shaped the imagination and visual worlds of Graubünden for generations – their fascination remains unbroken. This year's "LiteraturWissenschaft" series of events, organised by the Institute for Cultural Research Graubünden (ikg) in cooperation with the Cantonal Library of the Grisons, is dedicated to these three "Graubünden icons".

As part of the second event in the series, Prof. Dr. Rico Valär and M.A. Laura Pfister (University of Zurich) will take a look at another Graubünden icon. For generations, Schellenursli has impressively shaped the imagination and visual worlds of Graubünden, and to this day the fascination with the figure remains unbroken. It has long since taken on a life of its own and works in countless translations and intertextual references, advertises tourists and populates amusement parks.

The lecture traces the Schellenursli from its creation in Guarda to its world career. It provides insights into the collaboration between the writer Selina Chönz and the artist Alois Carigiet, sheds light on the context in which the Rhaeto-Romanic homeland movement originated, and reflects on the tension between text and image. The character's international successes, such as her intermedia adaptation in film, opera, musicals or advertising, as well as her commercialization in the context of the tourism and leisure industry, will also be highlighted. At the end of the lecture, the author Selina Chönz will once again take center stage. In her texts, she deals with contemporary topics in connection with the change in Graubünden and reflects on the encounter between tradition and modernity in the confrontation with her characters.

The event will be moderated by Dr. Cordula Seger (ikg).