UBS SA, Ascona – Installation and Participatory Performance

A spiral of numbers to shape thought, memory, and connection.

Una spirale di numeri per dare forma al pensiero, alla memoria e alla relazione.

Spiral wall installation with printed numerical layers on plexiglass by Paolo Grassi at the entrance of UBS SA, Ascona — Permanent wall installation in multilayer plexiglass, UBS SA, Ascona / Installazione murale permanente in plexiglass multilayer, UBS SA, Ascona

Created in 2010 for the inauguration of UBS SA’s new branch in Ascona, the artwork unfolds in two complementary phases: a participatory numerical performance and a permanent installation. During the event, Paolo Grassi invited collaborators, clients, and visitors to draw a printed number from a large glass bowl—each one a unique fragment of the From "0" to Infinity project.

All selected numbers were later reorganized and transcribed into final form on multilayer plexiglass sheets. These were permanently installed at the bank’s entrance, forming a concentric spiral readable at a glance, suspended in transparency and reflection.

The piece welcomes each visitor with a visual and conceptual threshold, transforming numerical sequence into a shared identity. It is a work that combines participation, abstraction, and memory within an institutional space open to contemporary research.

Close-up of magnetic numbers used in the participatory artwork by Paolo Grassi at UBS SA, Ascona — Magnetic numbers for audience use, UBS SA, Ascona / Numeri magnetici per il pubblico, UBS SA, Ascona

Realizzata nel 2010 in occasione dell’inaugurazione della nuova sede di UBS SA, Ascona, l’opera si articola in due momenti complementari: una performance numerica partecipativa e un’installazione permanente.

Durante l’evento, Paolo Grassi ha coinvolto collaboratori, clienti e visitatori in una scrittura collettiva, invitando ognuno a pescare da una grande coppa in vetro un numero stampato, frammento unico del progetto From "0" to Infinity. Tutta la selezione di numeri estratti è stata successivamente riorganizzata e riportata in bella copia su fogli stampati in plexiglass multilayer.

Questi elementi sono stati montati in modo permanente all’ingresso della banca, formando una spirale concentrica leggibile, sospesa tra trasparenze e riflessi

L’opera accoglie ogni visitatore come soglia visiva e concettuale, rendendo la sequenza numerica un segno di identità collettiva. È un lavoro che unisce partecipazione, astrazione e memoria all’interno di un contesto istituzionale sensibile alla ricerca.

UBS SA, Ascona

Participatory performance and installation

Commissioned by: UBS SA,
From "0" to Infinity : Element 153rd
Year: 2010

During the inauguration of the new UBS headquarters in Ascona, a participatory performance was held in which the public drew unique numbers from a glass container. The selected numbers were then arranged and transferred onto multilayer plexiglass panels. These now form a concentric spiral permanently installed at the bank’s entrance.

Location: UBS SA, Ascona (Switzerland)
Status: Permanent installation – publicly accessible

Newspaper article on Paolo Grassi’s conceptual art for the UBS SA, Ascona inauguration event — Press article on the exhibition and opening event, UBS SA, Ascona / Articolo stampa sull’evento inaugurale e la mostra, UBS SA, Ascona

All works presented here are part of the artistic project From “0” to Infinity by Paolo Grassi, exploring the relationship between numbers, time, and transformation through conceptual art.

Tutte le opere presentate fanno parte del progetto artistico From “0” to Infinity di Paolo Grassi, che esplora il rapporto tra numeri, tempo e trasformazione attraverso l’arte concettuale.

➜ Explore the Complete Catalogue / Esplora il Catalogo Completo