ZURICH BRIEFING January 2005

News this month

Close to home

Switzerland held a memorial for the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami during the Europe-wide memorial day held January 5th. Ceremonies took place throughout the country, and many mourned the Swiss victims of the disaster, most of whom were on holiday. The number of identified Swiss dead stands at 23, but 280 Swiss are missing (most were in Thailand). Swiss officials say that in at least 90 of the cases the missing are probably dead.

The country also raised aid for the region. Swiss Broadcasting collected SFr140m ($120m) in two weeks from over 150,000 donors, and money is still coming in. The Swiss Government has pledged Sfr27m to relief projects overseen by the Red Cross and the United Nations. The cantons have also promised SFr4.5m, with Zurich contributing SFr400,000. Swiss firms have pledged more than SFr20m to help survivors of the disaster.

Making room

The Cantonal office of the Preservation of Regional Tradition is fighting plans for an extension to the Swiss National Museum in Zurich. At a presentation by the project's architects, opponents said the new annex would scar Gustav Gull's castle-like building (finished in 1898), as well as the public park that surrounds it, which is Zurich's oldest.

Canton officials insist the extension is urgent, and that a different location would make it harder and more expensive to run the museum. They have tried to preserve the grounds: The initial plans were revised to preserve certain old trees. But the park would still be trimmed by 10% of its 3,150 square metres. Building work might begin as early as 2009, and be completed in 2013.

Busted

Swiss authorities recently released figures on drug smuggling at Zurich Airport. In 2004, 179 kilos of cocaine, 63 kilos of qat leaves (a stimulant popular in Africa), 49 kilos of hashish and one kilo of heroin were confiscated. This marked an alarming jump for cocaine: in 2003, only 82 kilos were seized. Airport officials arrested ten men and four women, from ten nations and aged from 19 to 50, in the last quarter of 2004.

Looking for oil

January will see the launch of the “Zurich Orient Foundation”, which aims to attract Gulf-state investment in local research projects. It was created by city officials, the University of Zurich and the Federal Institute of Technology, and is already showing promise. Researchers hope the project will yield new medicines, among other things. The foundation's first conference will take place in the United Arab Emirates in January. There are plans for joint laboratories in Zurich and Abu Dhabi, to study bio-diversity in the Emirates.

So far, most of the petrodollars invested in scientific research have flowed into America. But the Zurich Orient Foundation has drawn interest partly because ties between Americans and Arabs have cooled. Other European cities are also eager to fill the void, so Zurich lobbyists are busy touting the city's charms: top-flight scientists, political stability and a high quality-of-life among them.

Even more on-time?

Last month, Swiss Railways began operating with 12% more trains, revamping nearly every time-table. Officials publicly proclaimed success, but most of the news has been about the rail system's growing pains. Many riders are irked by the fact that 14% of routes will now be served less frequently. Swiss Railways bowed to disgruntled customers by giving some routes longer trains and more frequent service during peak hours. But some lines will now have to make due with less.

Swiss Railways boasts that the routes operate even more punctually, and connections have become more reliable. There were, however, complaints from the conductor's union: no new conductors have been hired, and they warn that they are stretched beyond capacity.

Catch if you can
January 2005

Sol LeWitt: “The Zurich Project”

Until May 1st 2005

Sol LeWitt, an American minimalist, has been prominent since the 1960s, when he was among the first artists to break from the wild abstract expressionism that dominated American art in the 1960s. He began his career as a conceptual artist, insisting on the primacy of the idea rather than its execution.

His paintings, drawings and simple geometric sculptures usually have a cheeriness that distinguishes them from the work of his gloomier peers. The focal point of this exhibit is “The Zurich Project”: two “barrier drawings” whose massive scale (7x22 metres) and bright colours transform their surrounding space.

Haus Konstruktiv, Selnaustr. 25, 8001. Tel: +41 (0)1 217 70 80. See the exhibit's website.