By Daniela Keiser

Daniela Keiser ranks among the most renowned contemporary artists in Switzerland. In 2017 she was awarded the Prix Meret Oppenheim as well as a studio grant from Landis & Gyr Stiftung that enabled her to embark on an extended stay in London’s East End. There she discovered the Idea Store, the public library on Whitechapel Road built by British architect David Adjaye in 2001–05. Upon its opening to the public, this institution quickly became a meeting place for a broad spectrum of society including for socially disadvantaged people. The goal of the Idea Stores - eight of them have so far been opened in various London boroughs - is to enhance formerly neglected neighbourhoods and offer a low-threshold source of education and information.