BLOCH is a global and multidisciplinary project by Swiss artist duo Com&Com (Marcus Gossolt / Johannes M. Hedinger).

The Bloch is part of an old carnival tradition from the Swiss region of Appenzell. When the last spruce tree is felled in the winter, the trunk – known as the Bloch – is pulled by twenty men from the village of Urnäsch to Herisau and back. At the end of this one-day procession, the trunk is sold to the highest bidder in the village square of Urnäsch to be processed into shingles or furniture that bring good luck.

In 2011, Com&Com bought the Bloch and have been taking it on a journey around the globe, with stops on every continent before returning to Switzerland.

Bloch has hosted performances, processions, conferences, exhibitions, concerts, and more…. among its many adventures, it was used as a printing press in St. Gallen, has appeared on TV at a TED talk in Zurich, Bloch visited Berlin, stopped at Art Basel, ZKM in Karlsruhe. Bloch traveled to Asia to the Juming Museum in Taiwan, the 9th Shanghai Biennale, the Japan Creative Center in Singapore. Then Bloch took a tour of North Dakota, where it visited the geographical center of North America and spent the summer at a Native American reservation.

BLOCH in NYC 2015
– October 10, 2-6pm. Silent OH! at Silent Barn
– October 15  Hymnalogue at Vital Joint
– October 17, 4-6pm Bloch Party at Onderdonk House
– October 24, 10:30am Bloch Parade from Onderdonk House to Knockdown Center
– October 30, 7:30-9:30pm Séance with Joan Carra and opening of Maybe I’m Amazed
– November 21 BHQFU Comedy Night: Tragedy and Healing in Nantucky
– November 22 Thanksgiving Pancake Feed
– December 12 – January 10 Bloch Show: exhibition – performance – conference