2nd international dada Festival 2003

Die zweiten internationalen Dadafestwochen in der Shilpapierfabrik “shilcity”,Zürich

The second international Dada festival weeks, Sihlpapier, Zurich, In the Plattenstrasse, Pastor Leumund, the crew of squatters from the Cabaret Voltaire and I planned the second Dada festival weeks with an intention of staging them on the vast grounds of the former Sihlpapier factory. Here for over two hundred years the Zurich paper factory on Gieshübelstrasse (Wiedikon neighborhood, District 3) was the most important industrial site along Zurich’s Sihl River. In the mid-80s production was discontinued, and since that time the area lay idle. In 1990 the site was occupied for the first time by political and cultural activists. Police moved on the same evening, evicting persons from the entire site. Afterward, various artists continued to submit applications to the site management for use. They might as well have banged their head against a brick wall, to which they at least might have charged admission. The landlord, Karl Steiner AG, had zero interest in art projects and fumed instead about Ursula Koch, the urban planning councilor, who kept refusing to grant the permission for their redevelopment project “Utopark.” When a group of political activists moved into one of many derelict halls in the summer of ’98, not only were they promptly kicked out, but also several factory buildings were razed to the ground. In an ensuing legal brouhaha it was attempted to make the squatters compensate for demolition costs of up to 100,000 francs.

In February of 2003 we had better luck in our Dada squatters’ incarnation, and the 2nd Dada festival weeks carried on the tradition at the Sihlpapier site unhindered thanks to our good contacts in the Department of Culture. On opening night, visitors were lured to Plattenstrasse for a swing orchestra concert, where they became witness, via a live broadcast onto a projection screen, of the factory doors being broken in and were prompted to attend the ceremony in the just- opened actual venue. The Sihlpapier factory suddenly meant Dada. For three weeks various international artists staged daily very well- attended concerts, exhibitions, performances and theater shows, while we frantically tried to convert the vast area into usable space. As our capacities reached their limits, given the overwhelming amount of vacant multi-story factory halls, we entrusted spaces to anyone with a sound idea of how to use them, thus integrating new members into our collective. The vagrants who before our arrival were spending winter months in hidden corners of the factory halls and were now doing some cleaning and repair work, were the only people to receive a fixed hourly wage out of the proceeds from the door.

Over the next four months, “Sihlcity now!” remained the largest cultural squat in Europe, and until our June of 2003 eviction it attracted tens of thousands of visitors with its three concert halls, art museum, Croesus opera, Electric Cafe, Syntosil level and roof garden, skating disco, Goa garden, Fleischkäs Medialab (“Meat Loaf media laboratory”), robot foundry, subterranean ghost train, open-air stage, traveler site and a bevvy of open ateliers.

But by putting up with Dada squatters the city council made itself vulnerable to blackmail from the Karl Steiner AG, who was planning to build on the factory site a superfluous shopping mall branded Sihlcity. In a feature article in the daily “Tages-Anzeiger,” referring to us as “Dada vandals,” it was reported that the Karl Steiner AG intended to charge the city half a million francs to cover the costs of waste disposal. The pretext for this demand was graffiti and piles of rubbish, which allegedly accumulated only during the last few months of the factory’s fifteen-year vacancy. Some of these same “defacements” have since been preserved by Karl Steiner AG and are flaunted in a prominent spot in the current glossy Credit Suisse advertisement leaflet as an indication of the unique “bohemian flair” of Sihlcity.

LOCATION
Shilpaier Areal, today Shilcity, Zürich 8007

BUILDING TYPE
Factory, 6 large four-storey halls, 4 of them used as interim culture venues

SIZE
20.000  m²

PROMOTION
Pro Helvetia, Mayor’s Department of the city of Zurich, Brockiland AG

INFRASTRUCTURE
Exhibition space, tea room, foundry , internetcafe, 6 bars, disco concert stage, cinema,
inhabited sculpture, ateliers, medialab

EVENTS
Exhibitions, theater, performance, concerts, dance events, readings, happenings, tea room, rollerblades disco, cinema
Free services: Workshops, internetcafe, children’s afternoons

CONCEPT AND ORGANISATION
Mark Divo, Pastor Leumund, Bitnik, Sven König, Räto, Basil Nufer, Wald ,
Bella Angora, Uwe Häuptel, Elektra Sturmschnell, Etrit Hasler, Pascal Häusermann, Svenja Plass, Syntosil, Zaccheo Zillioli, Maja Thommen, Petra Wild, Stini Arn, Thomas Leeman,
Allan Mc Goldrick, Ajana Calugar, Athene Galiziadis, Veronika Wentzel

GRAPHIC DESIGN
Tika, Svenja Plaas, Pastor Leumund, Grrr, Mickry3, ACS A

Participant artists:

Allschwil Posse (CH), Antena Theatre (CK/DK), ACSA (CH), Ariel Zumstein, Aurel Hoffmann (CH), Algebrator (CH), Alexandr Glistrin (RUS), Airolo Retour (CH), Anasi (CH), Anna Ambivalenta (CH), Anika Paetzold (D), Biopop (CH), Bitnik (CH), Boni Koller (CH), Boris von der Burg (D), Born to Boogie (D), Borschtsch (D), Big Zis (CH), Christian Falsnaes (DK), Chronic (CH), Cloinc (D), Clos-o-mat (CH), Dani Göldin (CH), Delabass (CH),  Dima Bulnegyn (RUS), DJ Kehrwoche (D), Diska (D), Der Schwarze Peter (A), Egotronic (D), EKR (CH),  Elektra Sturmschnell (CH), Etrit Hasler (CH),Erik Schumacher (A), , Felix Maspoli (CH), Fake Virgin (CH), Frances Belser (CH), Galoppierende Zuversicht (ZH), Gounous (CH), Alexandr Glistrin (RUS), Greis (CH),  Gwitter (CH), Hot Synchopators (D), Idealist (D), Intricate (CH), Jakob Kirkegaard (DK), Klasse Kriminale (I), John Maynard (D), John Player (CH), Johny Amore (UK), Jurzcok 1001 (CH), Jeremy Clarke (UK), Lander Loeckx (BEL), Ludwig de Wolf (BEL), Jonas Scheu (CH), Kanal B (CH),  K.Mutant (D), Kerbholz (CH), Knarf Rellöm (D), Kay-Zee (CH), La Bombe (CH), Labrium (D), La Gorda (CH),  DJ Patex (D), Carsten Meyer (D), Die Fickenden Turnschuhe (D), Die Kleinschmidts (D), Kinn (D),  Krankenzimmer 204 (CH),  Kratermann (CH), Laufzeit (CH), Lennie Lee (UK), Luna Nera (UK/FR), MC Rydemflirt (CH), Märklin HO (CH), Michael Schmacke (D), Mickry 3 (CH), Mark Divo (LUX),  Mischa Müller (CH), Michael v.d.Heide (CH), Mediengruppe Telecommander (D), Mini Metal (CH), Mikky B (CH), Mikrometropolis (CH),  Mirzlekid (CH), Monoblock (CH), Monochrom (A), Motordykes (CH), Nonda (CH), Offbeat Turntable Mechanics (D), Orange drive (CH), Pastor Leumund (D), Playme (CH), Pebert (D), Peter Weber (D), Premium Pop Illusion (D), Pronoise wants you (CH), Robocross (UK), Saad (CH), Rocco Parisi (CH), Rocko Schamoni (D), Roly Roos (CH); Saalschutz (CH), Schorsch Kamerun (D), Schlunegger&Kandlbauer (CH), Sebascious Gland (CH), Sören Berner (DK) Suzanne Zahnd (CH), Stärnä Föifi (CH), Sista Esta (CH), Syntosil (CH), Tatatalk (CH), Tatzen (CH), Theater Bube (A), Tres Amigos (CH), Vascock (CH), Xeno Volcano (CH), Wag the Dog (CH), Wilde Blumen (CH), Die Wohnungsspezialistin (CH), Ynbord (CH), Zacheo Zillioli (CH

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