SITE VISIT V: Terrain Gurzelen

A warm invitation to the fifth SITE VISIT! In Biel, we will visit the interim use of the former Gurzelen football stadium. Afterwards, we will go to the exhibition by Maya Hottarek and Julian Zehnder at the KRONE COURONNE, where a concert by Julian Sartorius awaits us.

SITE VISIT V
Terrain Gurzelen, Biel
2.12.2021, 16:00 - 19:00 hrs

16:00 Tour of Terrain Gurzelen, Champagneallee 2, 2502 Biel/Bienne
17:00 Walk to the exhibition "Isomorphous Drip" by Maya Hottarek and Julian Zehnder at KRONE COURONNE, Obergasse 1, 2502 Biel/Bienne
18:00 Concert by Julian Sartorius.

In the immediate vicinity of the Swatch headquarters and the OMEGA Museum, a completely different form of production and exhibition is taking place. In search of new landmarks and possible venues for NEXPO, we visit a special place of coexistence in the fifth SITE VISIT: the pioneering interim use of the former Gurzelen football stadium.

Here, vegetables are grown, there is a radio, band rooms and studios, open workshops, a children's construction site, a sauna and water slide, stadium chickens, an apiary, tennis courts and much more. The artist Maya Hottarek is one of the initiators of the project. Afterwards, we will visit her and Julian Zehnder's exhibition with a concert by Julian Sartorius.

Terrain Gurzelen: At the end of 2016, the City of Biel and the Terrain Gurzelen association concluded an interim use agreement; the intention is to use the site until the groundbreaking ceremony. The association benevol takes care of the organisation of the interim use. In 2020, Terrain Gurzelen received the City of Biel's honour for special cultural services. After two years of construction and operation, a positive balance is drawn on the interim use of the former football stadium, which is why it will now be continued indefinitely. Link: https://terrain-gurzelen.org/

KRONE COURONNE: Known for many years as Alte Krone/Ancienne Couronne, KRONE COURONNE is a new space for contemporary art in Biel/Bienne. The KRONE COURONNE has made it its mission to support the local art scene, but not only that. At the interface between French- and German-speaking Switzerland, the KRONE COURONNE supports the dialogue between artists and cultural workers from all four corners of Switzerland - and beyond. Link: https://kronecouronne.ch/

SITE VISIT: The new series of excursions and discussions extends NEXPO's research on living together in Switzerland in the 21st century. Rapid social change not only brings technological progress, but forces us to reflect on our built social environment. SITE VISIT is an attempt at a playful re-examination of spaces. We take the Terrain Gurzelen as an occasion to reflect on our public life in the future.

NEXPO: The initiative of the ten largest Swiss cities for a new national exhibition is called NEXPO - the new Expo, because it will take on a completely new form: it will be sustainable, future-oriented, decentralised and take place throughout Switzerland. It will not be an Expo on a defined and fenced-in site. It will connect cultural initiatives throughout Switzerland, in all language regions, in cities, agglomerations and in the countryside. It will build bridges between the centre and the periphery, form a nationwide network and create meeting places.