MONO/e MUSÉE EN GRÈVE

Musée en Grève

Musée en Grève

Launching the new water with all the typical PR gestures, the logo MUSÉE EN GRÈVE was meant to ap-

pear across the glass facade of the CentrePasquArt. The director, however, refused this for fear of political consequences. In order to save the project, Haus am Gern obscured two letters on the evening before the opening: MUSÉE EN GRÈVE (museum on strike)

❚ EN ❚RÈVE (dreaming muse). The

became MUSÉ M USEU M O N S T R I K E

labels of the water bottles were also censored with black felt pen when sold.

2002 I n t e r v e n tio n

Act 2

Mixed Media

To cover the production costs for the mineral water

So l o e x h i b itio n ,

and the exhibition, Haus am Gern offered affordable

C e n t r e P a s q u A r t Bi e l / Bi e n n e

advertising space to cultural institutions and other artists in the form of strike banners that would be

As part of the exhibition series “crossing”, the Cen-

visibly placed in the entrance area of the CentrePas-

trePasquArt in Biel/Bienne showed artistic positions

quArt throughout the exhibition. Since the opening

from the four linguistic areas of Switzerland: Haus

was due to coincide with the opening of a well-pub-

am Gern, Katia Bassanini, Gregori Bezzola, Shahryar

licised national photography exhibition at the Photo-

Nashat/Ryan Gander. The exhibition in the entrance

forum PasquArt, a high number of visitors could be

area of the museum took place from June to Septem-

expected. Haus am Gern’s offer proved so popular

ber 2002, to coincide with the Federal Exhibition

that the exhibition ended up making a small profit 1.

EXPO 02.

P r o l og u e : Spring 2002 – unions marched, pilots demonstrated, teachers went on strike, nurses painted banners and white sheets became scarce in second hand shops.

Some European museums also faced strikes due to massive budget cuts.

The CentrePasquArt, whose own prospects were far from rosy at the time, appointed Dolores Denaro its new director, and she implemented a rigorous savings regime. For her first exhibition series she had no budget, but nevertheless invited artists to produce work for the entrance area of the CentrePasquArt. In this context, Haus am Gern presented MUSÉE EN

1

GRÈVE, an intervention with clear intentions, pure

dispenser with water from the SOURCE HAUS AM

mineral water and a false bottom.

GERN, which was placed for free use in the foyer

Haus am Gern used the profits to rent a water

of the CentrePasquArt. Haus am Gern offered to Act 1

carry the costs for the water for one year. After

For their show in the entrance area of the CentrePas-

about a month, the water dispenser was relegated

quArt, Haus am Gern launched a “refreshingly still”

to somewhere near the toilets, because the profits

mineral water under the name MUSÉE EN GRÈVE

of the museum café had drastically declined. Haus

from the SOURCE HAUSE AM GERN. The water’s

am Gern did not agree to this and placed an ad in

logo was modeled after a strike banner of the Musée

the art magazine Kunstbulletin, offering the water

de l’Homme in Paris.

dispenser for use to other Swiss museums. No one took up the offer.

The following organisations and artists bought a banner: art&politics, lüdi+burgener, Bern Art-ROOM / Kunstkeller, Bern Billhaus, Biel Peter Brand, artist, Bern CentrePasquArt, Biel/Bienne Franz Dodel, writer, Boll ensemb!e Theater der Regionen Biel-Solothurn F & F, Schule für Kunst und Mediendesign, Zurich Fachschaft des Instituts für Kunstgeschichte der Universität Bern Galerie B, Bernhard Bischoff, Thun

A charity offering work opportunities for the disabled in Biel bottled the water, glued the labels and supported Haus am Gern to paint the strike banners.

Pascale Grau, artist, Basel Martin Guldimann / Eduardo Vinuëza, New York

Act 3 a n d F i n a l e

Hans AFF – Traberproduktion, Rikon Happypets, Lausanne

The museum management reacted by arranging a

Kaskadenkondensator, Basel

panel discussion at the CentrePasquArt, entitled

Köfer/Hess, Uster

“How far can art go?” with Prof. Dr. Peter J. Schnee-

KulturOrt, Chrige Fankhauser, Bern

mann (Chair of Modern and Contemporary Art, De-

Künstlerhaus S 11, Solothurn

partment of Art History, University of Bern), Dolores

Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Vaduz

Denaro (Director of the CentrePasquArt) and Haus

Kunstmuseum Thun

am Gern, moderated by Rita Jost (Radio DRS).

Kunstraum Kreuzlingen

The following text was emailed to Haus am Gern on

Sara Masüger, artist, Rijksakademie Amsterdam/Baar

the evening before the talk. It is a report by the Art

Barbara Meyer Cesta, artist, Biel-Bienne/Paris

Process Inspector API (a project by Haus am Gern in

Susanne Muller, artist, Prêles/Berlin

the person of Dr. Dipl.-Ing. Peter Vittali, who fulfils

Musée Museum Neuhaus, Biel/Bienne

the role independently and without any material re-

Museum 42 – Beat Gugger

muneration by Haus am Gern). Haus am Gern distrib-

Musée d’art et d’histoire de la Ville de Neuchâtel, départe-

uted the report (with a small adjustment and a note)

ment des arts plastiques

to all participants at the beginning of the podium dis-

Museum für Kommunikation, Bern

cussion.

Museum Schwab, Biel/Bienne Musée des Anges, Chrige Fankhauser, Bern Fritz Ryf, artist, Muri San Keller, artist, Zurich Schulen für Gestaltung Bern und Biel Schützenmuseum Bern Vreni Spieser, artist, Zurich Stadtgalerie Bern Tilo Steireif, artist, Lausanne Stiftung von Rütte-Gut, Sutz UNO: U.Gehbauer, M.Weisenstein, E.Trachsel value-concept: Christoph Lang, Stephan Meylan videocompany.ch Visarte Bern Visarte Biel/Bienne Peter Vittali, artist, Zurich/Baar Zusammenstoss Lucerne

The opening of Photographie à la Carte and MUSÉE EN GRÈVE.

Prof. Dr. Peter J. Schneemann, Dolores Denaro – censoring the label

C r e d it s Host

CentrePasquArt

Biel/Bienne

Curator

Dolores Denaro

Bottling & Labeling Bill-Haus, employment centre

for adults with learning

difficulties, Biel/Bienne

Report

Art Process Inspector

Panel discussion

Dolores Denaro

Prof. Dr. Peter J. Schneemann

Rita Jost