On or off? Cultural venues between inside and outside

It takes a few nosey genes, even more curiosity and, above all, open eyes and ears not to overlook them in the midst of all the temples of art, theatres and concert halls in the city: the off spaces. They are cultural venues away from the mainstream, spaces that deliberately seek to remain independent of the cultural dictates of the big players. The Zurich Art Space Guide lists 51 such venues, with new ones constantly being added while others are disappearing. Some of them are hidden away in nested basement compartments and the back rooms of office buildings, others catch our eye as we stroll through Kreis 4; some are so large that the term off-spaceship would almost be more appropriate, while others are so tiny that only a handful of onlookers can gather in them. "Off" doesn't just mean outside, but above all different, surprising and unconventional. No two spaces are the same.

But they all have one thing in common, as Petra Tomljanovic from Kulturfolger emphasises, a space near Idaplatz where art is shown, but also read, eaten and concerts are held. "Off Spaces emphasise curiosity, experimentation and intellectual freedom and enrich the art world in a way that larger institutions often cannot." Livio Baumgartner can only agree with this. His space, Die Diele, consists of two shop windows and disrupts the visual habits of passers-by on Sihlhallenstrasse. "With my space, I can offer a platform to people who aren't usually on the radar." The trained window dresser ("that's my running gag") has been displaying his art windows in the Langstrasse neighbourhood for 15 years. This makes him one of the longest-serving off-space operators in the city. In addition to his day job as a photographer and art handler in the ETH Graphics Collection, he has already staged 114 exhibitions on the pavement, from where the public and passers-by can peek into the miniature art space. "Actually, 'Out Space' would be a more appropriate name," jokes Livio. "My father once called the place that by mistake. But he's right, you experience art on the pavement."

Livio may question the name Off Space with a wink, but Petra takes a far more critical view. "Off implies an on. The binary categorisation of 'off spaces' on and 'on spaces' can give the impression that the former are serious, established institutions such as museums and galleries, while the latter are less important. I find that quite misleading." The biggest difference between the on and off spaces lies in the funding. While other cultural institutions are often subsidised for years or are commercially active, places like Die Diele or Kulturfolger have to knock on foundations' doors again every few months. As a result, most operators of off-spaces work almost on a voluntary basis, with very few of them making any money. "I do it for the cause," says Livio. "My best reward is when I see what the artists do with the Carte Blanche and how they develop." Petra also appreciates the advantages of being independent despite being dependent on private donors: "We have a freedom that institutionally funded spaces often don't have. Funding may secure basic operations, but it also brings restrictions - in terms of programme design, choice of topics and creative risks. In contrast, we can explore unconventional ideas free from these constraints."

The makers of Fuse, a concept space that opened directly on Helvetiaplatz in the summer, take a completely different approach to Die Diele and Kulturfolger. Art and commercial offerings are deliberately mixed here, along with coffee and aperitifs. "We see ourselves as a platform for young artists and designers. We make their art, artefacts and objects public and give them a material presence, a place," explains Johanna Roth, who describes the space as a meeting point and place of contrast. The space aims to bring the various disciplines together - and, yes, also provoke a little through the different worlds that come together.

Now it's getting complicated. Or is it? Just as on-off relationships are rarely a good idea, it would perhaps be better not to impose names on independent art and cultural spaces that are reminiscent of light switches and relationship mumbo jumbo. Die Diele, Kulturfolger, Fuse and all their relatives are above all one thing: exciting meeting places, without which cultural life in Zurich would be pretty dull.

The Zurich Art Space Guide provides an overview of the city's great little art and culture venues.