In het kader van de tentoonstelling ‘Common Ground’ op een parkeerterrein in Zurich had Leopold Banchini een 6 meter lange pisbak van roze Portugees marmer gebouwd.
Europe is moving. Fast. What we thought would be a community of identities has turned into a quite competitive space dominated by financial hierarchies. The “community” follows aggressive financial trends that opposes to the idea of a cultural neighbourhood where moral and ethical values are shared. The attack of countries by complex financial apparatus as the hedge funds and the likes has provoked a general disorder and a global feeling of distrust in the civic society. Greece’s debt might be saved by crowdfunding initiatives, by large numbers of anonymous international citizens trying to overrule what governments do not seem to deal with anymore: people. Public space is, in this context, regaining its original status of forum, to help the growing non-conformist crowds to reunite and express their disagreement to a controlled fate. Public space needs to stay public, open and support debate and creative proposals of any kind, whether they are social, political or cultural.
The Fountain of Youth, symbol of birth and beauty cannot be filled with crystal water anymore. It is now filled with the dirt of Europe’s recent history, where wealthy countries dictate the fate of not so wealthy ones. So here’s a present, a cultural gift from one of these countries that are not doing that well to one of the rich companions of the community. In the form of a noble fountain, a classical figure of occidental culture, Lisbon sends a solid salute to rich Zurich. A contribution to its public spaces where people can meet, be revolted to whatever, play, drink, sleep, love. Anything should be possible within a public space. As a slight provocation, celebrating another almost 100 years old fountain, Fountain 2017 send some marble to Zurich from Lisbon, so we can all can piss on it.
