E.A.T. Index

The E.A.T. Index is an alphabetically structured, cross-referenced collection of several hundred mostly unpublished statements by internationally recognized artists, architects, scientists, and writers, including figures such as Vito Acconci, Elizabeth Diller, Hamish Fulton, Thomas Hirschhorn, Emily Segal, Rasha Salti, and Lawrence Weiner. The volume is complemented by 115 images that accompany selected quotations. Engadin Art Talks (E.A.T.) was founded in 2010 by Cristina Bechtler in collaboration with Hans Ulrich Obrist, and has since convened voices across disciplines in an ongoing program of conversations and encounters. These exchanges have taken place both in the Engadin and internationally, including in cities such as London and Paris. The E.A.T. Index draws on 15 years of these conversations, gathering this organically grown archive from 2010 to 2025, making it accessible in printed form for the first time.

Each contribution is linked to a specific keyword. These keywords are underlined and cross-referenced throughout the volume, encouraging readers to move from one term to another. Following a single word often leads directly to a different voice or discipline. Rather than being guided by chapters or chronology, the reader navigates the book through association to explore new perspectives by making unexpected connections. Index entries such as “Snake,” “Snow,” “Society,” and “Solidarity” appear next to each other solely due to their alphabetical order. At first glance this sequence may seem arbitrary, but it is precisely this alphabetical proximity that allows new relationships to emerge. Instead of following a fixed timeline or a single narrative, reading becomes an active process of linking, flipping back and forth, and allowing ideas to unfold through juxtaposition rather than hierarchy. The book functions both as a point of entry and as a guide: it leads readers back to the complete contributions available in the Engadin Art Talks online archive, while at the same time generating new insights through the way widely separated themes and voices are brought together.

Conceived by Christian Herren, editorially developed with Daan Couzijn, and designed by Salzmann Gertsch, the volume is intentionally small in format. Thanks to its high-quality thread stitching, it is a book meant to be handled, carried, and returned to over time. The E.A.T. Index is not a publication to be read once from beginning to end, but a tool for continual rediscovery: a companion for uncovering new intellectual connections, and for thinking across disciplines alongside figures such as Camille Henrot, Sylvie Fleury, Theaster Gates, Trajal Harrell, (La)Horde, Francis Kéré, Kate Raworth, and Eyal Weizman, among many others.