Ruhestörung

Disturbing public space

The working group “Kunst im öffentlichen Raum der Stadt Zürich” [KiöR] organized the symposium “Ruhestörung – Über die Wirkung zeitgenössischer Kunst im öffentlichen Raum” [Disturbing the Peace—On the Impact of Contemporary Art in Public Spaces] on November 7, 2009. Jan Morgenthaler, Thomas Hirschhorn, Tobias Rehberger, and the “!Mediengruppe Bitnik” presented their artistic interventions in public spaces. Ruth Genner, Brigit Wehrli, Bettina Burkhardt, and Regula Lüscher contributed to the discussions as representatives of city policies. Daniel Baumann and Eva Riedi enriched the debate by talking about their experiences of the curatorial and organizational supervision of art projects in public spaces, while Bazon Brock gave a critical review of the historical development of art in public spaces.

The event was chaired by Dorothea Strauss and the new president of KiöR, Christoph Doswald. This volume presents the artistic interventions in public spaces—projected or already implemented—discussed in the context of the symposium, and documents the contributions of those invited to take part in the discussions. The overview of the ideas and outcomes achieved at the symposium raises a compendium of questions that are worth fundamental consideration when thinking about art in public spaces. This book is therefore much more than a document of the proceedings of a unique event. It is an instrument providing help to all those who would like to concern themselves with this topic—whether as artists or curators, private sponsors, city officials, or citizens with an interest in art.

Published with the City of Zurich.