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Born: Rüti near Riggisberg / BE
Age: 43
Marital status: married and happy
Strength: I'm a perfectionist
Weakness: hopelessly impatient
Desire: to ride through the USA on a Harley (I don't have one yet!)
Internet website: http://www.creativeloft.ch
Immortal AWARDS – made in Schönenwerd A whiff of Hollywood, Memphis, Woodstock and New Orleans blows through the loft-like halls at CREATIVELOFT in Schönenwerd (SO). It is here that something completely unique is created with a great deal of creativity and a great deal of empathy, and with detailed specialist, technical, scene and material know-how: Musicians, bands, stars and superstars are made immortal here and are acknowledged by means of awards. There's no question about it! Work goes on here. Giant platforms, vast quantities of wood and aluminium frames, glass, polystyrene, paper, leather, an arsenal of tools and processing utensils on the wall, the drill, the glue spray and the scalpel on the table. Daniel Schweizer (43) is at work. Calmly, inspired and enraptured. „I still have to design this point of sale decoration. The deadline is becoming tight, but I've at last found the definitive idea,“ he say, smiling with satisfaction, and then forgets the world around him once again.  What has this all to do with awards – nothing and everything. Daniel (Dani) Schweizer is a decoration designer. A vocation that was once very important and that no longer exists in its pure, original form. He was successful as a decoration designer, and decorated the fashionable department stores on the Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich, and was so good that he was soon in demand in the music and film scene. The music and film industry has remained his largest employer. Whenever something very special is needed, when there are no more ideas on the table, but something „unusual" is expected, people seek him out. He listens, poses brief questions, makes a few quick sketches and a few unreadable notes and allows it to work into him. And then it begins to ferment, and he makes drawings, rejects them, sleeps badly and continually makes telephone calls. He organises, orders, advises, informs and discusses and then withdraws to his studio. And then the classical happy end: the customer is full of enthusiasm, the POS decoration is effective and generates sales. 
This is only one side of the Creativeloft brand, however. The other side is the "hobbyhorse" that has become part of the job and has also become the second mainstay - «Awards». – awards for artists, musicians and bands that have achieved or created something very special. They should be honoured. In the States and in England, this all takes place under the much more accurate and more timeless expression of «Memorabilia» (lat. memorabilis = memorable). Such awards are often made to order. Awards from Daniel Schweizer have been received by, for example, artists such as conductor David Zinman, Christina Aquilera, Justin Timberlake, the Gotthard band, TV super star Alexander, Florian Ast and Italian's "Numero Uno" Eros Ramazzotti.
But one also hangs in Graceland in Memphis. The «ELVIS Number 1 Hits Award» hangs there today. „I get goose-pimples when I think about it,“ says Daniel Schweizer. His name remains in the background however. He is the craftsman, the creative element that remains anonymous. The good idea, the clever implementation, the right materials and a bit of genius create a unique artwork and an homage to the stars from paper, leather and aluminium.
Remaining in the background is not a problem for him. He can live with that without any problem. He is, however, increasingly frustrated that his treasures – accumulated through an enormous network of connections within the scene, with the meticulous passion of a collector and with a sure touch for the right moment – merely serve as a background for his work. His previously largely private «Hall of Fame» in Schönenwerd will become more open in the future. A meeting place for like-minded people – for music lovers, for admirers, fans and nostalgia. His own thoughts „I could well imagine music scene events in these halls, or intimate jazz or blues sessions".
Brief interview What is the fascination of the awards for you yourself?
An award represents something unique. It's an original with show-time and glamour. That's what I love. What does it mean for you to create an award?
It's an honour and a creative challenge.
What is your creative goal?
To never make the same thing. Each award should be unique and be tailored to the respective artist. A reproducible work would be unthinkable for me. What was your most unusual award up to now?
The award for Pink Floyd – The Wall. The award was set in solid stone. Heavy, solid, unique. What does an autograph mean for you, an original piece of writing?
When I held the first autograph of ELVIS in my hands, this was a very special and solemn moment. But I was also very happy to obtain the autographs of Louis Armstrong, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, Madonna and many others.
Are there autographs that you can never obtain?
You can obtain just about everything if time is not a problem. In most cases, it is just a question of the right moment and the necessary connections. How do you get close to the artists?
It's clear that I'm not going to reveal my formula here! Which awards are you working on currently?
The super group Pink Floyd, the unforgettable all-time favourites ABBA and blues legend John Lee Hooker. You create spectacular awards for artists and agencies – but which ones are hanging on the wall in your house?
An award needs space to make its effect. At home, I let Eric Clapton, Aerosmith and David Lee Roth shine out. Creativeloft – Daniel Schweizer
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Autograph Article 
