Origen, which means "origin" or "original" in Rhaeto-Romanic, is a recent addition to the art scene. The foundation does not need a fixed four walls to show art or a fixed theater to tell stories; Origen plays in the world.
The concept of "art" does not stop at performing, but continues with the design of facades, interacting with nature in a playful way, or even going through the stomach. The Origen Foundation pursues various projects, such as the rescue of the architecturally unique and historic village of Mulegns. By purchasing the "Post Hotel Löwe" as well as the former sugar bakery "Weisse Villa," Origen wants to continue telling the story and breathe new life into the area. Furthermore, the café in the Villa Carisch as well as the restaurant Taratsch invite you on a culinary excursion into the past to the times of the Graubünden coffee barons.
But probably Origen's best-known work can be admired on the Julier Pass. The temporary building, almost 30 meters high, was opened in the summer of 2017 and will remain in place until 2023. Considering the symbolism of the Julier Pass, this location was not chosen by chance. Where the top of the pass is today, there used to be a large lake. The later rise of the Alps separated this body of water into three rivers: the Julia, which flows into the Rhine; the Maria, which flows into the Po; and the Inn, which ends in the Danube.
But it is also a place that separates and reconnects worlds of life. Those who cross the pass leave their family or friends and enter a new dimension, which the theater is also capable of doing. At a performance, one is led for a short time into another world, into another dimension. The combination of fixed infrastructure and the play of nature is unique in the theater on the Julier Pass.
The red tower on the Julier Pass, however, unites much more than culture with nature; different eras collide as well. The painting by Pieter Breughel depicts the myth of the Tower of Babel, which was never completed. The legend says that God allowed the language of the people to be confused and thus, due to the failed communication, the tower could never be finished. But it is precisely on the basis of this myth that the red tower was erected at 2284 meters above sea level, making it, in a sense, a living legend and unique in European theater construction.
Origen generally examines the great myths of human history, with the Julier Tower being the culmination of artistic development. The ideology of the building embodies the contrast with the traditional and stationary theater buildings of the city. Every day a different scenery appears due to the changing sunlight and thus the theater gains not only flexibility but also transience.
All you need for your cultural holiday
