Blog, Edition 2016, TC 2016

Disciplining & Excess in Zurich

Excursion, 25 August 2016

Speaker & Guides: Marc Latzel, Photographer & Alex Bücheli, Safer Clubbing/Nachtstadtrat/Bar- und Clubkommission Zürich & Niels Michel, ERZ Zurich (Disposal & Cleaning Department, City of Zurich) & Owner Club “Klaus”

Walk around Langstrasse, one of the central districts of Zurich (Kreis 4/5), earlier known as the red light disctrict, still known as the nightlife centre of the city, but more and more gentrified today. The walk should cluster two central and also contrasting aspects of Zurich, which are cleanliness/normativity/strategies of disciplining on one hand and drugs/excess/nightlife on the other. The walk included visits at various public spots and backyards, a meeting with a club owner in a club and ended up at Letten, where the world famous open drug scene of Zurich used to be, which is used as a public river bath today.

Statements Participants

Jesica

It’s permitted all that doesn’t interfere.

The introduction of this iconic phrase, part of the discipline strategies of the city of Zürich, provokes in me questions about it’s subjectivity: Permission and/or Interference according to whom? … interference with what? Questions about how much is it applied by the viewers because of fear, moral, social-commitment, etc. And questions about… which role would I be: the subject or the object of this sentence?

statement-jesica-bastidas

Wendy

The word “Essential” just pop up when I was thinking of “beyond purity” and walked pass a fountain. The city of Zurich cares and provides essential supplements for everyone for free. Which actually bounds each one together, we share the essentials, yet we lived so differently.

Terence

statement-terence-2 statement-terence

Yannik

Historische Zäune

sind immer noch Zäune

Zürich arbeitet

an seiner Bräune

Wo früher Junkies

und Nadeln lagen

Genießt man heute

Sonnenstrahlen


Raum in Raum

für laute Bässe

Raum in Raum

als Schlafstätte

Mauer bau'n

um verseuchte Erde

[...]

Jade

Drugs are part of our / their society So Don’t / Can’t let homeless to be visible in the public space / city That is Typical Zurich’s approach Therefore Make our / their dead neighbourhood more lively

statement_jade

Andreas

graffiti yes, littering no

statement-andreas

Morphine

Beyond purity is to embrace the impurity.
Getting in between.
Hide and seek.
Accepting that some negative sides of society is also part of the society.
Accepting new and alien, blending them in.
Like a reflection mirror, seek out the similarity from the other and from ourselves.

 statement_morphinestatement_morphine-2