DACAR – Doing Arth-Goldau–Como as artistic research

Abstract

A workshop conceptualized and organised of the SARN Board members Flavia Caviezel, Priska Gisler and Christian Ritter, in collaboration with Michaela Büsse, all members of the SARN working group 'Methods & Practices'.

The research initiative DACAR – Doing Arth-Goldau–Como as artistic research serves as an agent and means to explore various ways “to do methods". It is dedicated to north-south/south-north mobility between the metropolitan regions of Zürich and Como/Milan. The focus lies on movements of people, material and immaterial goods. In its frame, explorative approaches and formats are tested.

To approach the topic two workshops were conducted in 2019, including the Workshop Hospental/Andermatt . This workshop focused on raw material businesses/gravel pits, art on the periphery and tourism in the Gotthard region, in the Andermatt-Hospen Valley.

During the field research we engaged in discussions with protagonists from the region in the following activities:

*Haus für Kunst Altdorf: talk and exhibition tour with the director/curator Barbara Zürcher

*Talk and tour at the slag landfill Attinghausen with the managing director Edi Schilter

*Visit at the gravel and concrete landfill in Zumdorf

*Visit at the open community meeting Andermatt

*Visit at the Design Hotel Chedi Andermatt

At both workshops, field work was carried out as observation; intense exchange amongst the participants of the workshop; meetings with key actors in the field; talking to residents of and people working in the area; observing local businesses; walking as a method of perception; writing field notes; taking pictures, recording audio & video material; and an essayistic field report in the aftermath of the workshop.