drei kreise
(2014)

Situation: We are invited by the curators Gianni Jetzer and Chris Sharp to the 2014 Biel sculpture exhibition entitled "Le Mouvement - Performing the City", which addresses the crisis of public space. In 2013, the city of Zurich erected the so-called "Verrichtungsboxen" on Aargauerstrasse in Altstetten. The "upgrading" of the inner city districts made street prostitution appear to be a disruptive factor that had to be relocated. This procedure was widely reported in the national and international press. Rarely or never mentioned was the fact that container settlements for artists and asylum seekers are also located on the wasteland where the street prostitution was set up. Spatial situation: On a map of the city of Biel, we draw three circular paths that lead past the five places specified by "le mouvement" as performance venues. They touch each other over a longer distance between the train station and Elfenaupark. The small circle encircles the city center, the middle one connects it with the lake and the large one with the industrial area to the east. Material and preparation: We contact artists, asylum seekers and sex workers and invite them to take part. We set up a reception and recreation room in a rented venue near the station. Here, the various organizations can present themselves and their concerns. Catering and rest facilities are available in an adjoining room. The venue will be open to visitors for 72 hours non-stop for the duration of the performance - so that the different living conditions can be described to each other. Procedure: Each of the circles represents a specific professional group (asylum seekers, sex workers and artists) and will be continuously followed by a representative. Three people are always on the move at the same time. After three hours, they are replaced by another person from the same group. Depending on the circle, the circuits take around 30, 40 or 60 minutes.