The Egocity was created in late 2000 in response to the increasing standardization and consequent boredom enveloping Zurich’s cultural life. The core group of activists consisted, with a few exceptions, of the same people who participated in the Glacegarten and the G’stört club. During the takeover I adjusted on the facade the luminous “EGO” lettering made beforehand out of transparent video cassette shells. The well-poised location in Badenerstrasse and a balanced program soon made the house into a magnet of Zurich’s nightlife. In addition to the bar, the inevitable concert venue and the inhabited sculpture, we set up a first squatted internet cafe called e-nöd and a well-designed website called egocity.net. For the first time after Wohlgroth we also had an actively functioning media group that established contacts with mainstream media in order to publicize the demands for non-commercial and self-determined cultural spaces. Not all squatters approved of this method, and it soon became obvious that many young supporters would rather indulge in the traditional ’80s stereotypes of punk and No Future slogans and had zero interest in interacting with the outside world. Although I had put a lot of work into the project, I ended up distancing myself from the pseudo-political squatters, but kept a watchful eye for empty buildings, always on the lookout for an appropriate location for a new culture squat.
The ground floor gallery “Zum Alten Schlämpli“ in the Staufacher Strasse 170 existed from May to September 2001. It used to be called “Zum alten Lämpli.” I changed the name to “Zum alten Schlämpli” and used it as an exhibition and event venue. My neighbors in the 42 apartments on the top floors were no longer dogmatic left-wing know-it-alls, but 17-year-old Steiner school students, decommissioned foreign legionnaires, young Ecstasy zombies and Latino coke-heads. During school breaks we had uncalled-for visits from the gangs of the nearby Bullinger-Höfe area, whereupon they would steal anything that was not nailed down on the way to their dealers. The sidewalk in front of the gallery was becoming an increasingly entwined cluster of art installations, armchair, couches and cannabis plants.
It is here that a legendary performance by the international artist collective ELXT 90 took place, when hundreds of spectators were attracted by fire-breathing monsters made of scrap metal. Before our inevitable eviction we staged a media-friendly happening in the Museum of Urban Planning at the Neumarkt.
During this event we directed reporters’ attention to our occupation of a vacant property in the Bühlstrasse, and even though the owner was not overly receptive to our cause, we were granted his permission to stay there a bit longer. I piled all the scrap props I’d accumulated over the years on display into the cafeteria of the former Hatt-Haller dormitory as a walk-in installation, where we held our meetings in addition to cinema nights and music events. In the basement next to exhibition rooms were a small concert stage with irregular bar service and a sculpture made of 50 fridges we’d found there. Upper floors of the building were used as residential ateliers.
Gallery “zum alten Schlämpli” 2001
Participant artists
FLX (CH), Ingo Giezendanner (CH), Mark Divo (CH), Mickry 3 (CH), Antonio Pate (CH), ELXT 90 (UK/CH)
LOCATION
Staufacher Strasse 170-172/Herman-Greulich-Strasse 56,8004 Zürich
BUILDING TYPE
Tenement block, Shop
SIZE
Ca. 80 m²
PROMOTION
None
INFRASTRUCTURE
Exhibition space, inhabited sculpture
EVENTS
Concerts, performances, cinema
Free services: Drawing circle
CONCEPT AND ORGANISATION
Mark Divo, Antonio Pate
Bühlstrasse 2001
Participant artists
Zacheo Zilioli (CH), Ingo Giezendanner( CH), FLX (CH), Mark Divo (CH)
LOCATION
Bühlstrasse 39, Zürich
BUILDING TYPE
Workers home of Hatt Haller AG 8045-Zürich
SIZE
4 floors a 250 m², exhibition space in the former canteen (80 m²), concert stage in cellar (150 m²)
PROMOTION
None
INFRASTRUCTURE
Exhibition space, inhabited sculpture
EVENTS
Concerts, performances, cinema, disko
Free services: Drawing circle
CONCEPT AND ORGANISATION
collective