Artists Shamiran Istifan and Lhaga Koondhor initiated the performative city walk Greetings from... in the city of Zurich in November 2021. The WalkTalk series revolved around the themes of social access, dealing with the past, community building and Utopias. The city walks were about entrepreneurship, the development of new Swiss narratives, bridges between tradition and innovation and alternative ideas. But most of all, it was about connecting and inspiring each other.
The walks were filmed and now is the time to publish the three videos. The spectators see through Noyan's camera how he perceived the walks. Jamira Estrada made the sound and mixed the voices and moods of the strollers. The result is a Translation of the walk-talks into a video installation to transmit a feeling. Because the screening adresses not only those who were present at the WalkTalks but also everyone who wants to have a glimpse of what they missed out on. The audience will not get a classic documentary. More like a feeling of how the city of Zurich can also be perceived.
At the first walk, Shamiran Istifan and Lhaga Koondhor took the audience to the SAE Greenhouse, where they met Kenza Benabderrazik, a post-doc at the Institute for Sustainable Agroecosystems of ETH Zurich. In addition to her teaching, Benabderrazik coordinates art-science projects to foster dialogue between artists and scientists. Second, the audience met Ory, a passionate Zurich barber with Kurdish roots from Iraq who, as a trained goldsmith, initially only did his family's hair privately. For twenty years, he has now his own barbershop in Kreis 5. Third, the strollers met LieVin. The Zurich artist with South African-Congolese roots is riding the wave of the contemporary hip-hop spectacle at the forefront.
The second walk took place just before Christmas. It dealt with individual interpretations of heaven and hell, God and divinity, and how people with politically challenging backgrounds create their own heaven in their own way. During the walks visitors engaged in dialogue with the following people: Yesh is a Tibetan-Swiss singer living in New York and Zurich. Fr Branimir is a Serbian Orthodox priest in Zurich, cares for the Serbian migrant community, which is an integral part of the city, and is a prison officer for all Orthodox inmates from various countries. Chao studies Game Design and is co-founder and organizer of Playgrounds, an LGBTQIA+ & POC aligned party series as a safe space for young queer people and allies. Tenz has achieved cult status in Zurich with his Tibetan momos. He has opened several restaurants and brought the popular dumplings to grocery stores. Pashk and Kreshnik are good friends and contribute to the soul and nightlife of Zurich. While Pashk runs his popular bar Milieu on Langstrasse and sells specially filled bottles, Kresh is a welcome regular guest with many interests.
The third WalkTalk was all about food: After the outbreak of the Corona crisis, Amine Diare Conde did not hesitate for a second to stand up for people in Zurich who have less. So he founded "Food for All." In addition, the audience is a guest of the artist Maya Minder. She has set up a kitchen that serves as a local meeting place and to which she repeatedly invites other artists and activists to cook. Thinking about culture together while cooking only makes sense!
Artists Shamiran Istifan and Lhaga Koondhor initiated the performative city walk Greetings from... in the city of Zurich in November 2021. The WalkTalk series revolved around the themes of social access, dealing with the past, community building and Utopias. The city walks were about entrepreneurship, the development of new Swiss narratives, bridges between tradition and innovation and alternative ideas. But most of all, it was about connecting and inspiring each other.
The walks were filmed and now is the time to publish the three videos. The spectators see through Noyan's camera how he perceived the walks. Jamira Estrada made the sound and mixed the voices and moods of the strollers. The result is a Translation of the walk-talks into a video installation to transmit a feeling. Because the screening adresses not only those who were present at the WalkTalks but also everyone who wants to have a glimpse of what they missed out on. The audience will not get a classic documentary. More like a feeling of how the city of Zurich can also be perceived.
At the first walk, Shamiran Istifan and Lhaga Koondhor took the audience to the SAE Greenhouse, where they met Kenza Benabderrazik, a post-doc at the Institute for Sustainable Agroecosystems of ETH Zurich. In addition to her teaching, Benabderrazik coordinates art-science projects to foster dialogue between artists and scientists. Second, the audience met Ory, a passionate Zurich barber with Kurdish roots from Iraq who, as a trained goldsmith, initially only did his family's hair privately. For twenty years, he has now his own barbershop in Kreis 5. Third, the strollers met LieVin. The Zurich artist with South African-Congolese roots is riding the wave of the contemporary hip-hop spectacle at the forefront.
The second walk took place just before Christmas. It dealt with individual interpretations of heaven and hell, God and divinity, and how people with politically challenging backgrounds create their own heaven in their own way. During the walks visitors engaged in dialogue with the following people: Yesh is a Tibetan-Swiss singer living in New York and Zurich. Fr Branimir is a Serbian Orthodox priest in Zurich, cares for the Serbian migrant community, which is an integral part of the city, and is a prison officer for all Orthodox inmates from various countries. Chao studies Game Design and is co-founder and organizer of Playgrounds, an LGBTQIA+ & POC aligned party series as a safe space for young queer people and allies. Tenz has achieved cult status in Zurich with his Tibetan momos. He has opened several restaurants and brought the popular dumplings to grocery stores. Pashk and Kreshnik are good friends and contribute to the soul and nightlife of Zurich. While Pashk runs his popular bar Milieu on Langstrasse and sells specially filled bottles, Kresh is a welcome regular guest with many interests.
The third WalkTalk was all about food: After the outbreak of the Corona crisis, Amine Diare Conde did not hesitate for a second to stand up for people in Zurich who have less. So he founded "Food for All." In addition, the audience is a guest of the artist Maya Minder. She has set up a kitchen that serves as a local meeting place and to which she repeatedly invites other artists and activists to cook. Thinking about culture together while cooking only makes sense!
| Organization and Curation | Shamiran and Lhaga |
| Protagonists Walk I | Kenza, LieVin and Ory |
| Protagonists Walk II | Yesh, Pfr Branimir, Chao, Tenz, Pashk and Kreshnik |
| Protagonists Walk III | Amine Diare and Maya |
| Sound | Jamira |
| Video | Noyan |
