One Bed, Two Blankets, Seventy-Six Rules

This project is the first collaboration between the artist couple Sabine Hess and Nicolas Polli. Living before in a long distance relationship, the project documents their trial of living together for the first time. In a humorous and experimental way, the two artists play with norms and ideas surrounding their perception of a “relationship”, giving themselves the freedom to create an intimate body of work. Embedded in the surrounding of the place where they initially met, they confront both the human and creative aspects of living together as a couple. The viewer is invited to enter their new home: A place that, similarly to their relationship, is still in transformation and adaption. A selection of texts are part of the work – they are findings by the artists that reflect on the challenges they experienced during this time. A set of rules of how to navigate a life as a couple but also a personal manifesto of how to grow together. The project was first presented at Verzasca Foto Festival in 2023, and at Festival Images Vevey in 2023. The book was published in 2023 by Ciao Press.