WALK TALK feat Florent Meng
HYPERACTIVITÉ, CAN, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
currated by Mark Blonds
CAN , Neuchâtel, Août 2010
We were invited for the summer lab festival, organized at the CAN (Centre d’Art Neuchâtel) by Daniel Suter and Arthur de Pury, to perform a piece we had conceived earlier for the Bucharest Biennale and entitled WALK/TALK which consists, as its name is clearly stating, to walk and talk within a city with inhabitants of that city; in other words: to share knowledge about a city, in a city, between people discovering that city and people living in it.
When we arrived in Neuchâtel, boredom took over our primary motivation. The Bourgeois-City, the Museum-City, the Narcissist- City left us cold blooded, empty, depraved of inspiration.
We decided to stroll around the streets in research of something.
We found the castle.
We visited it twice.
We organized a visit of the castle for the summer lab festival. The director of The CAN, the curators, the other artists and the visitors were invited to the castle where they were greeted by a guide and taken along for a tour.
It took about an hour.
We received a couple of insults on our phones because when the visit started, we went back to the Art Centre to prepare our next day performance.
The first part of this book shows the photographs of our attempt to drift within Neuchâtel in search of something (our naïf belief that art should always be about “looking for something”).
In the second part, on pink paper, you will find images of the castle visit.
Between the lake and Seyon River is a rocky headland. The lake, a navigable and commercial path, and the Seyon, which comes from the Val-de-Ruz and the bishopric Basel. Such a landscape asked for … a castle! Built at the end of the 10th century, it bore the town and gave it its name.
Novum Castellum, then Novum Castrum from the 12th century, Neocomum in scholar Greek in the 16th century, in common language Nuefchastel, Neufchastel, Neufchatel and Neuchâtel quite gradually from the 18th century.
In German, Nienburg evolved to Nuvenburch, Nuewenburg and then Neuenburg (since 1725).
Rudolph III King of Burgundy made his wife gift of Novum Castellum in 1011. On this opportunity he had an act written on parchment where you find quoted, for the first time, the name of the city.
Seat of power, the castle accommodated lords, sometimes their mother, widow or daughter, of whom some were real stateswomen (the countess Isabelle fought for the liberties of Neuchâtel at the end of the 14th century, Marie de Bourbon gathered the Earl of Neuchâtel and the Lordship of Valangin at the end of the 16th century).
Neuchâtel had been under influence of the Hapsburg, then Burgundian and also French during several centuries, until they were led to the Kings of Prussia from 1707.
Since 12th September 1814 Neuchâtel has been a Swiss canton. But the new canton remained simultaneously Principality of the Kings of Prussia. From this ambiguous situation emerged very passionate intern tensions.
On 1st March 1848 the republicans of Neuchâtel who left at Le Locle, La-Chaux-de-Fonds, the Val-de-Travers and La Béroche and led by Fritz Courvoisier conquered the castle and established an interim government which was chaired by Alexis-Marie Piaget. Neuchâtel became a Republic and on the same time a fully recognised Swiss canton.
The castle is still connected to power. The five senior civil servants – the cantonal Executive – work there and the 115 members of the Great Council – the cantonal Legislative – meet there. The cantonal justice – the Civil court and the Court of Assizes – hold hearings, next to the numerous services of the cantonal administration.
From 1st April to 30th September you can visit the castle, it is free.
Departure for the guided visit is at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., midday, 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on working days, at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday and at 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday and holidays.
Meeting point under the porch.
(http://en.neuchatelville.ch/profils/decouverte.asp/1-0-11210-10001-1000-2-0/2-0-1210-10001-1000-2-0/)
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