Fascinating String Figures
Depicting things with string and fingers – it’s a trick that has fascinated people for generations. A new exhibition at Museum Tinguely invites visitors to explore this cultural technique. Two University of Basel staff members curated the research exhibition “Fadenspiele/String Figures”.
18 November 2024 | Olivia Fischer
With rapid movements, Mario Schulze moves the bright-green string from his index finger to his thumb. Second by second, the string dances from finger to finger, creating one new form after another. What will be the next shape? “This is the coffee cup,” he explains, “and now it’s the Eiffel Tower!”
Mario Schulze from the Department of Media Studies at the University of Basel and Sarine Waltenspül from the University of Basel and the University of Lucerne have been looking into these and other string figures for several years. Now they are showing the results of their work at an exhibition at Basel’s Museum Tinguely called “String Figures/Fadenspiele. A Research Exhibition”.
For Waltenspül’s Swiss National Science Foundation project under the Ambizione funding scheme, she and Schulze are in fact investigating the Encyclopaedia Cinematographica – an academic film collection from the 20th century with several thousand titles.
While browsing through the collection, they came across a handful of films showing string figures. “We decided to take this topic as the focal point for the exhibition, because these unspectacular figures, which require nothing more than string and hands, carry so much history. That fascinated us,” says Schulze.
A tradition with many faces
Despite extensive research, it has proved impossible to determine where the age-old practice of string figures comes from. It most likely developed in parallel in different places, which means it has a tradition on every continent. It serves as a pastime, it’s a way of communicating history, and it can have ritual and spiritual functions. In pre-colonial times, for example, it formed part of death rituals in present-day Kiribati. Playing with string figures together is also popular in Switzerland, as in the far less complex children’s game of cat’s cradle.
“String figures reflect the worlds people live in,” explains Sarine Waltenspül. In Europe, for example, the Eiffel Tower is a common motif. In the Arctic, you often find sleds, dogs and bears, while in Oceania, fishing nets are a popular subject.
A look at the exhibition
In this new exhibition, Waltenspül and Schulze showcase this diversity in an ethnological and artistic exploration of string figures. It’s a process that also incorporates representatives of societies where string figures originate.
One of the exhibits is the String Figure Prints by artists from Yirrkala, Australia. The Yolngu people of the region have a long tradition of string figures. They often depict animals and objects from their environment, such as turtles.
Artists from Yirrkala have entered the art market with etchings of their string figures. “The prints are extremely aesthetic,” explains Sarine Waltenspül, “and at the same time it’s impressive to see the Yolngu using their art as a medium for asserting their right to self-determination and preserving their traditions for posterity.”
Combining research, teaching and communication
Schulze and Waltenspül are also sharing their knowledge of research through the medium of the exhibition in a course at the University of Basel. “The students get a crash course in curatorial studies, so to speak,” explain the researchers.
In the seminar, Waltenspül and Schulze combine theory with practice. Students engage with texts on curation and gain knowledge about the history of exhibitions that mix art and ethnology. Museum visits are also on the agenda; for example, students get to witness the exhibition at Museum Tinguely being set up.
Fadenspiele/String Figures. A Research Exhibition
From 20 November 2024 to 9 March 2025
Museum Tinguely, Paul Sacher-Anlage 2, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, Thursday 11:00 am to 9:00 pm
