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.

Paolo Grassi – Final light cylinder installation at UBS SA Lugano created from over 440 unique numbers collected during a participatory performance — Light cylinder made from over 440 unique numbers – Cilindro luminoso composto da oltre 440 numeri unici

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.

Group of participants signing unique numbers during Paolo Grassi’s large-scale participatory installation at UBS SA – From '0' to Infinity — Collective moment of creation during the performance – Momento collettivo di creazione durante la performance

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.

Participant signing her unique number 2696 during Paolo Grassi’s UBS SA participatory art performance — One of the participants signing her number – Una delle partecipanti mentre firma il proprio numero

Signed numbers with personal marks by participants of Paolo Grassi’s participatory performance at UBS SA – From '0' to Infinity — Signed numbers and personal drawings by participants – Numeri firmati e disegni dei partecipanti

UBS SA, Lugano

Participatory performance and installation

Commissioned by: UBS SA
From "0" to Infinity: Element 123rd
Year: 2009

During an exclusive event organized by UBS SA in Suglio, over 400 employees took part in a participatory performance conceived by Paolo Grassi. Each participant received a unique number, which they applied and signed on a long Pet strip. Once completed, the strip was rolled into a light cylinder, now permanently exhibited at the UBS headquarters in Lugano. The artwork condenses memory, identity, and collective authorship into a single luminous object.

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

Paolo Grassi with Giovanni Crameri and Marilena Carenini during UBS SA participatory art event — With UBS executive Giovanni Crameri and Marilena Carenini – Con il dirigente UBS Giovanni Crameri e Marilena Carenini Alt text SEO:

Newspaper article on Paolo Grassi’s UBS Lugano performance – Element 123 of the conceptual project From '0' to Infinity, published in 2010 — Newspaper article documenting the installation – Articolo di giornale che documenta l’installazione

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