Zeitgeist and the National Exhibition - NEXPO's Curating Team

Juri Steiner: I came into contact with the expos as a young man browsing local flea markets. Souvenirs and books comme­mo­rating these events are second-hand stall mainstays. Shortly before the turn of the millennium, the idea for a new national exhibition arose, charac­terised by the unmis­t­akable flair of its first artistic director, Pipilotti Rist. His initiative was met with surprise. Before Pipilotti's concept, the cultural sector had eschewed the idea of another expo. In those days, it was considered inopportune and unchic to parti­cipate in signi­ficant state-sponsored events.

Memories of the "Fichen­skandal" and the 700^th anniversary of the Swiss Confe­de­ration in 1991 were still very fresh. The cultural commu­nity's relati­onship with the state was strained. In some ways, this tension explains why Expo.02 became a platform for younger artists and culturally active people who wished to take respon­si­bility for something new. This is how I began to view the political processes and public discourse in the run-up to Expo.02 in a totally different light – it felt like going to the circus for the first time.

Anne-Outram Mott: I experienced Expo.02 very differently. I actually didn’t even know what a national Expo was, as I didn’t grow up in Switz­erland. After all, this kind of national exhibition is unique worldwide.

For me, Expo.02 will always be defined by the Three-Lakes Region and the ingenious use of topography as a canvas to grapple with Switz­er­land's present and future. The event inspired feelings of solidarity and commu­nalism which were completely new to me. It brought people of all ages together and still allowed them to express their local, urban, regional or rural idiosyn­crasies. This openness made Expo.02 special.

Juri Steiner: The zeitgeist shows itself in the expression of a national exhibition, which is apparent in the evolution of the exhibi­tion's format in regards to its identity over time. Reflecting on Expo.02, one is struck by the fatalistic hedonism that in many ways defined the turn of the millennium. Or, for example, take the Landi of 1939, which was charac­terised by a streng­thening of tradi­tional Swiss culture in a period of political insta­bility and inter­na­tional threat.

When it comes to national exhibitions, the zeitgeist is a ubiquitous presence. However, it's only apparent in retrospect. In going back and examining the literature from Expo 64, the naivety of our nascent consumer society is evident, for example. The menace of the Cold War was expressed by the Swiss Army's enormous hedgehog pavilion. Expo 64's most memorable instal­lation, Jean Tinguely's diabolical machine, the kinetic sculpture “Heureka” left an enduring if uncom­fortable impression. Its constituent gears and crankshafts moved but didn’t produce anything, which was widely inter­preted as a critique on consu­merism – a wake-up-call even. My takeaway: at national exhibitions, some things are planned, and some things happen sponta­neously. That said, I believe it's becoming incre­a­singly difficult – and this applies to the NEXPO project as well – to cogently address the zeitgeist.

Juri Steiner: NEXPO's decen­tralised, parti­ci­patory and evolu­tionary format demons­trates its relevancy and timeliness. It all began with the mayors of Switz­er­land's ten largest cities sitting down for an espresso together. They regretted the failure of a national exhibition project in eastern Switz­erland, and reached a consensus: it was their mayoral duty to protect the “dinosaur”, as the expo was called by the Neuen Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), from extinction. Saving the national exhibition as a genre neces­sitated its re-invention.

This meeting gave birth to the decen­tra­li­sation aspect of the NEXPO concept, which some might interpret as a drawback at first glance. Maybe it’s just the spirit of our times which lets us imagine a decen­tralised national exhibition. After all, decen­tra­li­sation is a core principle of Switz­er­land's political structure and an expression of today’s zeitgeist. Take blockchain, for example, a revolu­tionary decen­tralised monetary system.

Anne-Outram Mott: The idea of a collective initiative and common will developing and imple­menting the project across Switz­erland is excep­tional. The allegorical issues of our time, globa­li­sation, migration, climate change and, of course, digita­li­sation can only be addressed by the collective – all viewpoints must be considered. The only way to solve these problems is through colla­bo­ration. For us, networking, NEXPO's leitmotif, is the solution.

Anne-Outram Mott: What we want is a national Expo that is shaped in colla­bo­ration with the residents of Switz­erland – the parti­ci­patory element is essential. NEXPO poses the question, what does Switz­erland stand for? We want the Swiss people to give us the answer. The parti­ci­patory element stimulates curiosity and interest, supporting individual empowerment and promoting the feeling of community. We can define diversity together – shaping the collective into a homogenous unit is not our primary concern. Rather, NEXPO is a vehicle to explore diversity in Switz­erland, recognising common denomi­nators and finding positivity in our diffe­rences.

Juri Steiner: Incen­ti­vi­sation is the motivating factor when it comes to encou­raging parti­ci­pation, and not only economic incen­ti­vi­sation. The national exhibition has always been an unfathomably expensive event organised by the federal state, cantons, exhibition venues, private sponsors and donors. Since the last exhibition, however, alter­native forms of financing have come to the fore. Crowd-funding is a great example, where it’s more about defining values and less about making money; funds are supplied by people who wish to invest meaningfully.

NEXPO's parti­ci­patory format has a certain playfulness. We are more than merely “homo oeconomicus", economical humans, we are “homo ludens”, playing humans. There exists the romantic notion that humans are only truly human when they are at play.

Anne-Outram Mott: NEXPO aims to catalyse existing initiatives, and encourage the creation of others that have not yet been created. To us, NEXPO is an ideation laboratory and a space for young people to express themselves. That's why diversity is the alpha and the omega – the beginning and the end. Inclu­sivity and openness towards the various regions, traditions, languages, and generations that make up Swiss societal fabric is imperative. In these times of rapid change, we must offer people the oppor­tunity to exchange ideas. Whether the discourse revolves around homeland, progress, sustaina­bility, tradition or tolerance, the values that define us going forward must be discussed, debated and decided upon. Diversity applies not only to regions but also to the various opinions and values across generations that define us as a natio­nality.

Anne-Outram Mott: Switz­erland is a nation of will; a community that decided to be together yet has no common language and no common religion. A national exhibition is a testament to this will. Commu­nalism will continue to define us well beyond the upcoming national exhibition.

Juri Steiner: For me, the “Verein” (club, association) will survive as the arche­typical Swiss principle of community spirit, civic invol­vement and parti­ci­patory rights. An association is a democratic and social success story. In keeping with this tradition, NEXPO is also an association.