Who I am:
human, thinker, explorer, founder, entrepreneur, designer, photographer, artist.
"cosmicball" is a creation label. If you want a so called artist name. However many think that "cosmicball" is one of my round urns, which rightfully is called "ball of love". I was born in Malaysia, on the island Borneo. And then I stayed a few years in Africa as well.
According to my passport I am Swiss. Matura in Solothurn.
Studio & workplace since 1998 in Zurich City, Switzerland.
Do you want to know more?
The name seems big - the idea behind it is simple. With "cosmicball" I want to express, that my works centre around the topic "become and elapse", the circle of life, the infinity of the universe. Both can be associated with the image of a cosmic ball.
I present my works and projects under the name "cosmicball", which I devised, created, conceived, developed and realized.
According to my passport, I am Swiss. I was born in Sabah, Kudat.
Borneo is an island in South East Asia. It is located at the centre of the Malay archipelago between the continents as well as the Philippines. Borneo is devided between the three states Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. With the surface of 751.936 km² Borneo is the thrid largest island in the world, after Greenland and Neuguinea.
After Borneo I was in Cameroon, Africa. A time which shaped me very strongly. Cameroon is a country in Central Africa. It borders on Nigeria, Chad, the Republic of Central Africa, the Republic of the Congo, Gabun, Equatorial Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean.
The cinerary urn is a container, known since the Neolithic Age, which is used for the final funeral or as a storage of the ash of a deceased after the cremation. In Middle Europe the funeral in urns came up in the Late Neolithic Age (2500-2100 v. Chr.). Before that there was only the cremation and the funeral of the fire remains without any kind of urn. During the Bronze Age the funeral of the ashes in urns spread over large parts of Europe. It was and is part of death and funeral cult.
"ball of love" redefines the urn new and can be used as a symbol, secret carrier and keepsake.
You learn more if you scroll down, write me an email or schedule an appointment with me at my studio in Zurich.
human, thinker, explorer, founder, entrepreneur, designer, photographer, artist.
live, think, explore, found, venture, design, photograph, be
I like the simple and the permanent and I am interested in the creation of an archetype.
Studio in Zurich, City
Zentralstrasse 50
8003 Zurich
T: +41 44 301 06 00
thomasschaer@cosmicball.com
Born and raised on the island Borneo, Malaysia and Cameroon, Africa. 1986 Matura. Since 1996 under the pseudonym "cosmicball" responsible for the appearance of URNE.CH and the creation and developement of the urn collection. Autodidactic developement in conception, design, webpublisher SIZ, creation, grafic, screen printing, photography. Winner of national and international competitions.
Since 1996 "cosmicball" Thomas Schär developed and created a handmade urn collection. Each urn is conceived and created from scratch and contains an own identity, an own name and a particular story. On some urns other artists eternalised themselves.
You will find more pictures here: cosmicballsdiary.com / urns on a journey / my personal archive
Discover Zurich's Creative District.
Ashes to Ashes. The song by David Bowie is timeless. Far from dusty is also the look & feel of Urne.ch, the unique urn studio with a showroom in Zurich that is celebrating its 20thanniversary. If one thing is fair: We all have to pass, whether poor or rich. Which is also why artist and owner of Cosmicball Collection, Thomas Schär, gives each handmade urn a new design from the ground up and with it a distinctive identity – individual requests included! Schär also promotes promising young art with youngart.ch and further projects. True to the motto: Life goes on.
An interview: Thomas Schär answers questions about dying, death and memory in his atelier URNE.CH in Zurich.
Discover Zurich's Creative District.
Ashes to Ashes. The song by David Bowie is timeless. Far from dusty is also the look & feel of Urne.ch, the unique urn studio with a showroom in Zurich that is celebrating its 20thanniversary. If one thing is fair: We all have to pass, whether poor or rich. Which is also why artist and owner of Cosmicball Collection, Thomas Schär, gives each handmade urn a new design from the ground up and with it a distinctive identity – individual requests included! Schär also promotes promising young art with youngart.ch and further projects. True to the motto: Life goes on.
Portfolioviewing mit «cosmicball» Thomas Schär
in der Roten Fabrik, Shedhalle Zürich. Präsentation der „cosmicball collection“ Idee und Konzept mit ball of love „skull“ sowie „srawberry“.
Am Portfolioviewing präsentieren mehrere Künstlerinnen und Künstler ihre Werke und Portfolios innerhalb eines begrenzten Zeitraums vor Kunstinteressierten und namhaften Kunstexperten – unter anderem Aline Juchler, Kuratorin und Kunstexpertin bei Pro Helvetia, Sabine Rusterholz, Kuratorin und Mitglied der Kunstkommission Zürich und Gianni Garzoli, Präsident der Schweizerischen Vereinigung der Kunstsammler.
Moderation: Salome Hohl
Kunstszene 2018 mit "cosmicball"
THAT ONE MOMENT
«cosmicball» Thomas Schär im Kunst(zeug)Haus Rapperswil 2018
Tod und Vergänglichkeit: Zu diesem Thema fand 2018 eine Ausstellung der IG Halle im Kunst(Zeug)Haus Rapperswil statt. Der Fokus lag jedoch genauso auf dem Leben und der Frage, wie alle die Momente gelebt werden, bevor dieser eine Moment eintritt. Die Auswahl der Werke bot Möglichkeit zur Auseinandersetzung auf verschiedenen Ebenen. Renommierte Künstlerinnen und Künstler warfen als Experten für Transformation auf explizite oder indirekte Art die Frage nach dem Tod auf. Durch ihren individuellen Zugang berührten die ausgewählten Werke ganz unterschiedliche Aspekte des Themas: Von der Darstellung von Ruinen und Schädeln über die Erforschung von Materie an die Grenze von Fülle und Zufall bis hin zu sichtbaren und unsichtbaren Phänomenen der Wahrnehmung. Neben der künstlerischen Annäherung ermöglichten mehrere Veranstaltungen eine vertiefte Auseinandersetzung, z.B. über Begegnungen mit Menschen, die unkonventionelle Tätigkeiten ausüben oder sich beruflich intensiv mit dem Tod beschäftigen.
That One Moment mit "cosmicball"
TV Beitrag: Tele Basel über die Urnenkollektion von "cosmicball" Thomas Schär im neu eröffneten Atelier in Basel, St. Johann.
Ausstellung Pforzheim 19. Mai bis 25. Juni 2017: Urnenskulptur room of silence® mit Urne ball of love®
Die Ausstellung "Luxus!? – Positionen zwischen Opulenz und Askese" thematisiert historische, zeitgenössische und zukünftige Konzepte von Luxus. Dazu fokusiert sie sowohl auf Materielles wie auch Immaterielles. Im Mittelpunkt stehen Konsumgüter und Werke der Bildlichen Kunst, welche zwischen den Polen "Mehr ist mehr" und "Weniger ist mehr" stehen. Gezeigt werden Konzepte von 'Hidden Wealth', unter anderem Objekte der Porzellanmanufaktur Nymphenburg, von Otto Künzli, Leica oder Maison Martin Margiela. Zur Ausstellung eingelanden wurde auch urne.ch mit dem ball of love®, der vom room of silence® umhüllt wird.
""Hidden Luxury - Versteckter Luxus" "
Lecture on "Farewell and funeral culture"
An event organized by SBAP,
Swiss Association for Applied Psychology
"Fabio" is interviewd in the Urne.ch studio by Schweizer Illustrierte.
"cosmicball" in conversation with Radio Lora: listen to interview
Nov. 2013Timeline 1980 - 2010
TV, radio and press report on «cosmicball» - further highlights and awards:
A guest at Kurt Aeschbacher, 10vor10 SRF and Eva Wannenmacher "Kulturplatz"