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Why a Themed Dossier? This dossier on one single topic is intended to inspire journalists to discover Zurich and the many stories it has to tell. It includes profiles of people who shape our town in diverse ways, each of whom shares insights into their lives and working environments. These people come in as many different facets as the city itself. Their stories give ideas to everyone who would like to visit Zurich and pursue their own research in greater depth. Journalists and editorial departments are welcome to use these texts and photos for free (source: Z端rich Tourism). Additional photos are available for downloading at zuerich.com/themeddossier
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Cabaret Voltaire: the birthplace of Dada
Preface Zurich’s Passions Zurich is a passionate city, but if to see this you
Zurich in the early part of the 20th century. However,
have to look behind the magnificent facades of the
they also paved the way for the surrealists, cubists
banks on Paradeplatz or behind the pretty boutiques
and constructivists.
lining the Bahnhofstrasse. Without the dedication of the Zurich guilds and without the idealism instilled
Our six portraits show that Zurich is still very much
by the Reformation, Zurich
a source of creative ideas
would never have become
and inspiration. Our artists
the important financial and
spray graffiti artworks with
business metropolis it is today.
the aim of raising awareness of underground culture; they
However, Zurich’s passion has
create stages on a scale of
not just given rise to a hard-
1: 50, the originals of which
working mentality and wealth,
enchant the great stages of the
but also to art and culture.
world; they write stories that
Zurich is the birthplace of the
make children’s eyes light up;
ironic, wild and polemic art
they communicate by means
movement known as Dada,
of laser beams, program digital
which in 1916 went on to
works of art, and decide which
conquer art metropolises such
international bands and artists
as Paris, Hamburg and New York from its base
should perform at the city’s largest open-air festival.
here. With their abstract collages, multilingual sound poems, performances and marketing campaigns,
Zurich has therefore lost nothing of its artistic passion.
the Dadaists brought unrest and turmoil to placid
Pay us a visit and allow yourself to be inspired.
Martin Sturzenegger, CEO Zürich Tourism
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Themed Dossier Zurich | Swiss Art – Pure Passion
Pages 6 – 9
Dadaistic Communication | Johannes Gees 4
Pages 10 – 13
Creator of Fantastic Worlds | Simeon Meier
Pages 14 – 17
Graffiti is Not Evil | Laurence Celine Landert
Pages 18 – 21
A Good Ear for Music | Marion Meier
Pages 22 – 25
The Storyteller | Andri Krämer
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Pages 26 – 29
The Art of the Future | MuDA
Pages 30 – 35
Information, Map, Imprint
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Dadaistic Communication | Johannes Gees Johannes Gees is known in Zurich as the founder of the successful crowdfunding platform wemakeit. In addition, as a Dadaistic artist he has caused a stir with provocative installations and performances. If local artists, designers or graphic designers need some seed capital to get a creative idea off the ground, they may well approach the Zurich-based crowdfunding platform wemakeit. wemakeit was founded by artist Johannes Gees, who is based in the heart of the once disreputable Langstrasse. In the entrance of his business premises, guests are greeted by pictures of light and laser installations, portraits of Gees in action, and the “Dada Bank” – a wheel to which various amounts of money are attached. When someone
submits a Dada project to wemakeit, the wheel
and projected messages from people all over the
decides the amount with which the Dada 100
world onto the snow-covered mountain slopes.
association will support this enterprise.
An absolute sensation – for that year, Davos was completely sealed off from the outside world for fear
The Dada art movement, which was founded
of demonstrations and riots, and Gees’ laser beams
in Zurich, and Johannes Gees are old friends:
were suddenly the only means of communication
since his youth, the creative has encountered the
between politicians and the world population. In
Dadaists and their art over and over again, and he
2003, Gees repeated this operation on an even
often draws inspiration from them. “Dada was my
larger scale: in four continents, on four projection
first big love and continues to influence me to this
surfaces in New York, Bombay, Rio de Janeiro and
day. Nobody experimented with the various means
Geneva. In this way, a good 10,000 messages
of communication and the possibilities offered by
were projected in the course of 24 hours. What will
technology as skillfully as
the
Dadaists,”
he
explains. The Dadaists were – just like Gees – 8
open to all kinds of tools
“I love the do-it-yourself approach and the transboundary collaboration between people.”
he come up with next? Johannes Gees provokes in a manner that is in no way inferior to the
and style forms. They were interested in media and
Dadaists. He is a communicator and innovator,
communication, worked on a global scale, loved
and is passionate about linking people all over
to provoke, and were the precursors to other art
the globe. “I love the do-it-yourself approach and
genres, in particular surrealism. Johannes Gees,
the transboundary collaboration between people,”
too, is a media-oriented, inquisitive and provocative
he explains. He is referring to wemakeit – but the
all-around talent, who plays a pioneering role: in
statement is equally true of his own artistic creativity.
1999, together with the artist group c.a.l.c., he was one of the first people – “in those days, the Internet was completely new and unadulterated” – to create a kind of social medium: with communimage. Online, naturally. communimage enables people all
CONTACT
over the world to upload pictures onto a common
Johannes Gees
platform and to communicate with each other.
wemakeit.ch GmbH Schöneggstrasse 5
During the 2001 World Economic Forum in Davos,
CH-8004 Zürich
Gees installed a laser projector in the apartment
wemakeit.com
of the local pastor, linked it up with the Internet,
johannesgees.com
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Creator of Fantastic Worlds | Simeon Meier Simeon Meier is a stage designer of international repute. Besides designing sets for the Schauspielhaus Zurich and the Theater Neumarkt in Zurich, he creates fantastic worlds in particular for German stages. In his studio opposite Wipkingen train station, in the north-west part of the city, little points towards Simeon Meier’s creative activity. A large table, a few books, and numerous boxes rowed up along the wall. “Well, my creativity can be seen on the theater stages in Zurich, Cologne or Dresden,” he says, “I can only show you a few models here.” Which he then promptly does. He roams around his workshop, looks in a crate here, opens a box there, then suddenly stands on the table and reaches up for a long cardboard
package. From this he conjures up a forest to the
or opera house and was, so to speak, the in-house
scale of 1: 50, which he recently created for the
set designer. Nowadays, a renowned designer
production of Shakespeare’s tragedy “Troilus and
travels all over the world partly because now the
Cressida” in Cologne. He enthusiastically tells of
distances are easier to cover, but also because the
how this set came into being, from the original
installations of well-known set designers are highly
idea to discussions with stage director Rafael
sought after by cultural institutions throughout the
Sanchez, of the lighting testing together with the
globe. In this way, Simeon, too, has succeeded
actors, and above all of the rotating stage, which
transformed
a single set into four different scenes. While
in making a name for
“Of course, the lakeside stage at the Bregenzer Festspiele would be a lifelong dream.”
the stage revolves, the
himself and is equally in demand in Cologne and Dresden as in his home city of Zurich. When
asked
which
protagonists walk alongside, with the result that
stage he would particularly like to work on, he
they look as if they are on a long journey.
replies, “Of course, the lakeside stage at the Bregenzer Festspiele would be a lifelong dream.”
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Simeon Meier discovered his fascination for rooms
However, the real art is in getting the very best
and pictures at an early stage. As a child, he was
out of the materials and options available. “Many
allowed to watch friends of his parents – who
establishments have, apart from a large budget, a
were decorators – at work: “That’s where I first got
workshop employing twenty carpenters, painters
the bug,” he says, his eyes shining. After leaving
and craftspeople. Others have just two carpenters.
school, he did an apprenticeship as decorator at
We have to be able to live with that too. It’s all a
the tradition-steeped department store Jelmoli, in
matter of creativity.”
Zurich. “That was fantastic,” he recalls. “In those days I was able to create entire story-based worlds in the display windows.” Soon afterwards, he was already working as an assistant to the set designer at the Schauspielhaus Zurich, which allowed him to quickly make contacts within the theater world. It is extremely important for a set designer to know
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various producers and dramaturges, for they hire
Simeon Meier
the set designers they best like working with to
Dammstrasse 43/44
create their production sets. In earlier times, a set
CH-8037 Zürich
designer was permanently employed at a theater
simeonmeier.com
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Graffiti is Not Evil | Laurence Celine Landert Laurence is a woman of many talents. She sings in her own band as well as in a big band, and also works as interior designer at the Kanzlei Club, snowboarding instructor, barmaid, and teacher of the visual arts. But her greatest passion is graffiti art. It is cold on this spring day at the “Letten.” In summer, the place is full of sun worshippers, but today Laurence is alone. Armed with a few aerosol cans and a protective mask, she starts “work”: she is a graffiti sprayer. “Graffiti has been part of my life since I was 13 years old,” recalls the vivacious Laurence Celine Landert, as she explains how she came to be involved in graffiti-spraying – really more of a male domain. “I was particularly inspired by the hip-hop culture,” she says.
A graduate of the Zurich University of the Arts –
The young teacher and artist earns some extra
she alternately studied classic, jazz and pop music
cash with commissioned works. Mostly she
before completing her studies in Art Education –
decorates walls or rooms; for the SUP ART project
Laurence feels it is important to raise awareness
she even adorned surfboards with her designs. “By
for graffiti-spraying.
the way, the boards are still for sale,” she laughs. Large companies – such as the supermarket
Early in her career, she led workshops for various
chain Migros – are also among her clientele.
youth projects in Zurich, whereby “many of the
She negotiates prices personally and individually
participants were not much younger than myself,”
with each customer, according to the size of the
she laughs. She still organizes these workshops, but
available surface, the complexity of the design
her clientele now includes schools and companies. “If the customer gives me a surface, I can spray at any time of day and under all kinds of conditions,” 16
she says self-assuredly.
“Many people say that graffiti is vandalism or destruction. I believe that destruction leads to creation. Nature shows us this every day.”
and the amount of paint required.
She
has
just one condition for commissioned
works:
“I won’t allow my style to be compromised. If somebody commissions
The customer is free to decide whether they and
me to create a graffiti mural, they get a ‘Laurence.’
their friends, employees or students would like
That means that if they want a Minnie Mouse,
to try their hand at spraying themselves or if they
that’s what they’ll get. But it lies within my artistic
prefer Laurence to create something while she
discretion whether or not it is depicted hanging
explains the history of graffiti. “It’s up to the client
from noose,” she says with a grin.
where the focus lies – on the final result or on the fun in achieving it. I enjoy both. It’s always exciting to observe the fascination that an aerosol can evokes among children, young people and adults alike,” she grins. “Graffiti still has a reputation of being something illegal. But in the meantime street artists such as Banksy have advanced from being public
CONTACT
enemy number 1 to being regarded as real heroes
Laurence Celine Landert
of the art scene.” She reflects for a moment and
Witikonerstrasse 397
adds, “Many people say that graffiti is vandalism
CH-8053 Zürich
or destruction. I believe that destruction leads to
laurenceceline7.wix.com/laurenceceline
creation. Nature shows us this every day.”
laurenceceline7@gmail.com
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A Good Ear for Music | Marion Meier Marion Meier is responsible for the program of the Z端rich Openair. For this job, she needs nerves of steel, organizational talent and a penchant for piecing together jigsaw puzzles. In summer, Zurich is taken over by very special rhythmic sounds: the Z端rich Openair attracts over 45,000 music fans to the trendy city on the lake every year. And when the last sunrays caress the faces of the dancing crowds, she focuses her full attention on the main stage of the festival, where the high-flyers of the indie pop rock scene, The xx, are delighting their audience. At this moment, Marion Meier knows that she has done everything right.
The fledgling Zürich Openair has already firmly
help.” As program director, Marion Meier needs
established itself in the city on the Limmat. Although
to be extremely flexible. Rescheduling, seeking
still only in its teething stages compared to other
alternatives and checking out various options are
Swiss festivals, in the last five years a number of
all part of her daily challenges.
big names from the international music scene such as Paul Kalkbrenner, The Prodigy, Kraftwerk,
Meier is proud of the fact that the program of the
Seeed and The Kooks have taken to the stage near
Zürich Openair is perfectly suited to the city on the
Zurich Airport. Marion Meier has been instrumental
Limmat. “It is urban, trendy and very international,
in this success. She is the Festival’s program director and has the last say when it comes to
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“And anyhow, what other open-air festival has its own airport?”
just like Zurich,” she says. There are a noticeably high number of electronic bands that make their
the music. “The line-up is of key importance for
way to Zurich every year, but indie and rock bands
us. Other open-air festivals have regular fans who
like performing here too. “And anyhow, what other
come anyway. Of course, the music also plays a
open-air festival has its own airport?” Meier asks
central role here, but these people would probably
with a grin. The close vicinity of the airport is indeed
also go to the festival even if no big headliners were
a plus point – not only for the visitors, but for the
playing. We don’t yet enjoy that luxury,” Marion
bands too. Meier is convinced that, for instance,
Meier explains.
Nine Inch Nails would not have come to Zurich if immediately after their gig they had not been able to
The former advertising professional came to work
board a plane to America, where their next concert
for the Zürich Openair by a roundabout route. After
was awaiting them. Traveling to the Zürich Openair
she had been in charge of the music program at the
is ideal in other ways too: trams and buses operate
Zurich clubs Rohstofflager and Komplex 457, she
until the early hours of the morning, and during
was offered the job at the Zürich Openair. “I always
the day visitors can spend some time shopping or
thought that it must be thrilling, but at the same
sightseeing in the city.
time difficult, to compile a program for an open-air festival. And now here I am doing exactly that!” she laughs, and continues, “Putting together a line-up
CONTACT
is like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. You can
Marion Meier
really want one particular band, but if the group
ZO Festival AG
isn’t in Europe, or the Zürich Openair doesn’t fit into
Binzstrasse 39
their route schedule, you can do what you like but
CH-8045 Zürich
you won’t get anywhere. Even a high fee doesn’t
zurichopenair.ch
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The Storyteller | Andri Krämer Andri Krämer writes, produces and sells children’s stories under his alter ego, “Gschichtefritz” – free of charge or at the discretion of the person ordering them. Andri Krämer is sitting in one of his favorite locales working on a new story featuring Beni the robot. Together with two children, Beni experiences countless adventures and is the main character in a whole series of audio stories that Andri Krämer has been producing over the last seven years. Is the plot with a house fire not rather brutal for young listeners? He will have to ask his own children later. For storyteller Andri Krämer is father of three and a qualified IT specialist. However, when he is not working as a software developer, he can usually be found sitting – as on this sunny morning – in a café or in his recording studio.
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Sitting there in his bright orange, ruched shirt
Probably the most interesting thing about Andri’s
and beret, Andri Krämer looks like a troubadour.
business model is, however, that the customer
“That’s my alter ego, ‘Gschichtefritz’,” he explains.
determines the price they want to pay for a CD
On assuming this role, he becomes a teller of
or MP3 at his own discretion. “Most customers
children’s stories and can distance himself from
are generous as they appreciate the fact that I
his real identity. “I need to detach myself from my
produce, package and dispatch everything myself.
everyday life in order for my creativity to unfold,” he says. “At home, I’m a father and husband, at work I’m Andri the IT
“Be-ni the ro-bot al-ways speaks in the same pitch and rhy-thm – and that can real-ly get on your nerves.”
specialist, and otherwise I’m ‘Gschichtefritz.’”
In
this
way,
through
customers’ generosity a single parent can order an audio story without having to pay for it.”
People can download up to three stories a month for free or order them on CD. “But unfortunately
The idea of “Gschichtefritz” was born from necessity.
after that I have to call a halt, otherwise I would be
“I had my own band for a long time and was always
out of pocket,” says the good-natured storyteller.
making music,” he explained. However, after the birth of his first child, it became increasingly difficult
Andri Krämer’s next project is to make his stories
to pursue this pastime. “I would have missed such
known in Germany and Austria, and he has
a lot due to rehearsals and concerts,” he says. And
recorded special versions in High German, rather
so he decided instead of music to write and record
than Swiss dialect. “I can’t wait to see if my stories
his own children’s stories, complete with songs,
also go down well abroad,” he laughs.
and to make them available to the widest audience possible at the lowest financial risk. To do this, Andri had to reduce the production costs to a minimum: on his recordings, listeners do not hear the voices of five different actors, but only Andri speaking in different voices. “Be-ni the ro-bot al-ways speaks in the same pitch and rhy-thm – and that can real-
CONTACT
ly get on your nerves,” demonstrates Andri. In
Gschichtefritz
addition, he only produces his CDs to order. Each
Andri Krämer
customer then has the possibility of requesting a
Rainstrasse 49
personal dedication – such as for a godchild or
CH-8038 Zürich
grandchild. Andri records the personal message
gschichtefritz@gschichtefritz.ch
separately and adds it at the beginning of the story.
gschichtefritz.ch
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The Art of the Future | MuDA Caroline Hirt and Christian Etter share a vision: they want to acquaint as wide a public as possible with the art of the future. At the Museum of Digital Art (MuDA), they show visitors just how artistic the numbers zero and one can be. What was originally conceived as a one-room show has within the space of three years developed into a museum covering 400 square meters (4,300 sq. ft) of floor space: the Museum of Digital Art recently opened its doors in the trendy Zurich-West quarter. Today this hip district, where in bygone days ship’s engines were assembled, is home to companies that develop new technologies, the Zurich University of the Arts, modernday gastronomic outlets and contemporary architecture. The perfect neighborhood for a digital museum,
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thought Caroline Hirt and Christian Etter, when they
they have no idea about programing language,”
decided to set up their own museum.
says Etter. The installation shows the beauty and sleekness of digital art. As a result, in future the
Disappointed by many of the local exhibition
museum directors will be focusing on works that can
concepts, they decided to actively do something
be tangibly experienced. Naturally, other applications
about it instead of simply sitting around complaining.
and web designs will be featured too: each exhibition
“We might not be able to show expensive Picassos
– between two and four temporary exhibitions are
or Van Goghs, but we can work in a cheaper, freer and more experimental manner
than
other
institutions,” say the two freshly-baked
museum
directors and go on to explain
their
concept:
“Until now, digital art has always been considered ‘nerdy’ and lacking in universal appeal, but in actual fact the opposite is true. That’s what we aim to show at MuDA.”
planned per year – will be accompanied by a mobile app,
which
assumes
MuDA’s virtual role. The two creatives have been
overwhelmed
by
the support and backing
“Until now, digital art has always been considered
they have received from both private and public
‘nerdy’ and lacking in universal appeal, but in actual
circles: “In purely economic terms, the museum
fact the opposite is true. That’s what we aim to show
should not even exist in the first place, but the
at MuDA.”
interest and support our project has received in Zurich is enormous. This is one reason why we have
The fact that digital art does not only have to take
opened our museum here and not somewhere else
place on a screen and with barely decipherable
in the world.” In future, it is planned that conferences
codes is clearly demonstrated by MuDA’s first
and inspirational talks on such topics as artificial
exhibition, featuring an imposing installation: the now
intelligence, the right of privacy and data protection,
defunct departure board from Zurich main station,
as well as workshops for children and teachers, will
which was acquired from the Swiss Federal Railways
be held at MuDA. MuDA is an open space where
(SBB). “The board – measuring 13 meters (43ft) long
creativity and technology merge.
and 3 meters (10ft) wide – almost completely fills the room,” laughs Caroline Hirt, “but it’s worth it, for it’s an absolute gem.” The two Ticino artists, Andreas
CONTACT
Gysin and Sidi Vanetti, programed the board to
MuDA – Museum of Digital Art
display patterns and animations. “It’s a great example
Pfingstweidstrasse 101
of what our museum is all about, for this kind of art
CH-8005 Zürich
is something that everyone understands, even if
muda.co
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View over the city from the Waid quarter
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Further Information Johannes Gees communimage.net Simeon Meier schauspielkoeln.de deutschestheater.de Laurence Celine Landert facebook.com/laurenceceline7 laurenceceline7.wix.com/laurenceceline Marion Meier | Z체rich Openair facebook.com/zuerichopenair 32
twitter.com/zurichopenair instagram.com/zurichopenair Andri Kr채mer | Gschichtefritz facebook.com/gschichtefritz Caroline Hirt und Christian Etter | MuDA facebook.com/mudazurich twitter.com/oiioiioioiiioio Andreas Gysin and Sidi Vanetti: gysin-vanetti.com Christian Etter: etterstudio.com Caroline Hirt: epicgamejam.com
Map of Zurich
ZURICH NORTH
Caroline Hirt and Christian Etter MuDA – Museum of Digital Art Pfingstweidstrasse 101 CH-8005 Zürich
LIMMAT
Simeon Meier Dammstrasse 43/44 CH-8037 Zürich
ZURICH-WEST
Johannes Gees wemakeit.ch GmbH Schöneggstrasse 5 CH-8004 Zürich
CITY CENTER
NIEDERDORF Laurence Celine Landert Witikonerstrasse 397 CH-8053 Zürich
SIHL
SEEFELD
ENGE
Marion Meier ZO Festival AG Binzstrasse 39 CH-8045 Zürich
LAKE ZURICH
Andri Krämer Gschichtefritz Rainstrasse 49 CH-8038 Zürich
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Zurich Opera House at Sechsel채utenplatz
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PRESS MATERIAL Information for media: zuerich.com/media Image gallery and video material: zuerich.com/images E-book and press material Themed Dossier: zuerich.com/themeddossier COPYRIGHT Page 13 | Stage set: © Tommy Hetzel Page 21 | Concert Zürich Openair: © Amanda Nikolic All other images: © Zürich Tourism