The Urban Murals of the Zürich Housing Commons: Sites of Collective Identity, Memory and Political Activism

Abstract

This research aims to map the trajectory of the ‘urban mural’ – a work of art on the façade of a building in an urban context – as a vehicle for non-profit housing actors to envision and represent common identities in the city of Zürich throughout the 20th century. By looking at the history of the urban mural in Zürich, the complex interplay and ideological undercurrents of different actors in the construction of non-profit housing for the urban population can be studied. These actors include the city government, building cooperatives and squatters, all considered to be part of the ‘Zürich Housing Commons’. It is examined how these actors made continous use of urban murals to beautify and enrich their living environment, to express and communicate collective identities, to strengthen narratives of collective histories, but also to give voice to political and counter- cultural activism. Beginning with a chapter on the history and context of the urban mural in the 20th century, this book then presents a catalgoue of urban murals, to collect and document the century- long tradition present in still today in Zürich. Through photography and architectural drawings, a visual inventory of the Urban Mural is created, making possible an overview of the evolution of this praxis through the 20th century. Throughout the book, this research will argue for the value that the urban mural, both as historic artifact and contemporary praxis, may still hold in today’s built environment.