NOCH:NICHT

1.1“How did we start?”

Beginnings in 2023 and first art exhibition at Dynamo, Zürich 2024

2023

A few friends who met on an art and design foundation course are sitting in a painting class:

“Have you seen Dynamo’s open call?”

“Yes. Wouldn’t it be fun to put on an exhibition in that dark room?”

“But isn’t the room totally unsuitable? And we have no experience with exhibitions at all. Does anyone even want to see our art?”

“Shouldn’t art be free? Who gets to decide what an exhibition should be like?…”

A few minutes later, we wrote to Dynamo and asked how open they would be to an art exhibition. The reply came quickly: they had never done anything like it in that setting, but they were keen to work with us.

We spent our next lunch breaks sharing ideas and planning. There were barely three months left until the exhibition. We were ten people putting the project together in our free time. For all of us, it was the first chance to exhibit our art.

Our first core values

One of our core values came about almost in passing, in the very first hours of planning, and it still shapes the project today: “Accessibility for all”. When we talked about the theme of the exhibition, we quickly agreed: we often find the art world elitist and hard to access. That was exactly the atmosphere we wanted to avoid. We thought about where we could create accessibility and settled on the following points:

• A non-commercial event, based on a voluntary collection.
• We don’t want to present ourselves as professionals. Instead, we want to show ourselves as we are, real and imperfect, and give people a glimpse into our creative processes.
• No selling of art; only prints in exchange for a donation to the collection.

Our first art exhibition

Dynamo, Zürich, February 2024

As the theme of the exhibition we chose “Being human”, because it is as varied as we are. Dynamo had received another request for the same evening from people who wanted to organise a party. They asked us whether we would like to combine the two programmes. The idea of creating a shared space with art and music felt right to us, so we joined forces. That is how one of the pillars of our project came about, quite spontaneously: a stage for artists and musicians.

1.2“The road to Aarau”

Art exhibition and creative day at KUBO, Aarau 2024

2024

Our first art exhibition was only a few weeks behind us when, out of the blue, we got the chance to put on the programme at the Kultur- und Begegnungsort Aarau (KUBO), a place for culture and encounters.

We decided to put on our next art exhibition in September 2024. New people joined, others moved on. What stayed was our motto:

“Accessibility for all”

By doing it again, we wanted to promote exactly that.

Art exhibition at KUBO

KUBO, Aarau, September 2024

Our concept wasn’t settled yet. We decided to leave out the music programme and offer workshops instead. We wanted to create room to make things freely and experiment, without rigid rules. For ourselves and for our visitors. Our idea:

“Emerging art
within existing art”

As a group of eight, we brought photography, painting, installations, ink painting, sketches and other work to the exhibition. In the middle of the room there were workshops with clay and various drawing and painting techniques. That is where new art emerged during the exhibition, together with the visitors. It opened up room for exchange and connection. Around this area, a circular path led through the works on display.

One highlight was the graffiti piece that a graffiti artist created during the exhibition. People could watch, chat with him or have a go themselves.

People of all ages sat together at the tables, tried things out, looked at the art and talked with us. It showed us that projects like this are needed. A non-commercial event is open to a wide range of people, invites them to discover things and brings all kinds of people together.

Our principles grow

Along the way, our principles grew. We realised how much direct exchange and room to experiment matter to us. The group can and should change. People come and go, and each time they help reshape the group culture and the concept. For us, accessibility means bringing different people together with their interests and topics, making exchange possible and creating room for free creativity.

1.3“We need space”

Joining the KUBO collective, Aarau 2024

2024

We all need space, and we all need free space. For us, free space means having a place where we can explore our interests, experience community, practise self-organisation, take on responsibility and help shape culture.

Some of us felt exactly this need for a safe space and joined the KUBO collective. Those who didn’t join kept coming back too, to help out or just to visit.

After joining the collective, we tried out all sorts of things: creative workshops with a musical evening programme, cooking events, craft and film nights, raves and concerts. The tasks covered everything too, from designing flyers to organising and coordinating to cooking for the crew.

We organised ourselves, shaped the space around our needs, lived exchange and community, and in doing so added to the culture of Aarau.

For many of us, it became more than just “free time”. It was a space where freedom could be lived and shaped. Friendships grew here, we experienced care and found room for our individual interests. For some, this free space even influenced their choice of degree or where to live, and gave them social stability for the first time. Through the different projects we got to know each other better. Our friendships carried on outside the space as well, and we worked together on other projects.

2025

In spring 2025 came the bitter realisation: despite our many attempts to find somewhere new, we had to move out of our temporary space in the summer. We were deeply disappointed by the lack of support. For many of us, it was a heavy loss. We gathered our energy to face the end of the KUBO free space together. In June 2025 we carried the last memories out of the Rockwell building, closed the doors and said goodbye in front of the entrance with tears and a can of beer. We promised each other not to give up the fight for a free space.

The collective and the friendships remained. We decided to carry on as far as our means allowed. Our decision: we take free space for ourselves and share this feeling of community, care and freedom with others. Our space was taken from us, but what we experienced there stayed with us. That is exactly what we want people to be able to feel again.

So we turned our focus to events in different places and, among other things, brought back the idea of an art exhibition. By then we had gained experience with concerts, and new people with different interests had joined us. We wanted to connect the beginnings of our project with what we had found at KUBO: a home. That gave rise to the idea of an art exhibition with a musical evening programme.

1.4“We’re taking free space!”

Art exhibition and evening programme at Flösserplatz, Aarau 2026

2025

To make this free space something people could experience again, we launched an Open Call. We were looking for people who wanted to make the project happen with us. We found a space for it at Flösserplatz in Aarau. The call was also aimed at people who wanted to give their art a stage and had so far had little or no chance to do so. At the same time, they should be keen to help make it happen, in line with our existing principles and values.

The Open Call ran for one month from August 2025. We received 14 sign-ups from people aged between 16 and 38. We looked for musicians for the evening programme through our contacts. But among the sign-ups there was also someone who wanted to “exhibit” music rather than visual art. That sign-up was decisive for today’s concept and for how the project went on to develop.

The first get-to-know-you meeting took place soon after. The initial shyness gave way to an energy and drive that overwhelmed us. There were still five months to go until the event. We were 18 people organising it: 16 exhibitors, an electronic live act and a DJ. Two bands joined us as well. Only five of us already knew each other from the KUBO collective. A new collaboration took shape, in which we got to know each other and brought our different interests together. We wanted the event itself to show this coming together, too. In keeping with our principle of “Accessibility for all” we chose the theme “Exchange & Diversity”.

Working together went smoothly. In regular meetings we divided up tasks and shared knowledge. We did without hierarchies, so that everyone could bring in their strengths, needs and wishes. KUBO’s principles and values lived on in this project too. We quickly grew together.

2026

Art exhibition and evening programme

Flösserplatz, Aarau, January 2026

We met the evening before to set up, and we could feel that togetherness in the room. Until then we had hardly seen each other in person, because without a space of our own we had held our meetings online. Even so, it felt familiar. We were connected by our passions and by the wish to take this free space for ourselves and shape it together. We supported each other, not because we felt obliged to, but because the project made us feel connected. With no hierarchies, we all saw ourselves as equally responsible.

On Saturday at 11 a.m. we opened the doors. We took turns at the entrance, looking after the space and cooking. We had lunch and dinner together, welcomed people and took breaks with them in our cosy chill-out corner, which was open to everyone.

The atmosphere was warm. It felt like friends dropping by. We talked with the visitors, felt their enthusiasm and noticed some of them staying longer. We had deliberately set up places to sit next to and between the artworks, so that people could slow down together. That is exactly where some of the most open conversations happened. By the time the exhibition ended and the evening programme began, we had shared our art with 150 people. From painting, installations and animation to photography, it was as diverse as we are.

We quickly took down the artworks and got the stage ready for the musicians. Petta Reddast opened the evening programme with funk. The transition could hardly have been better: they took the warm, cosy atmosphere up on stage with them and loosened it up. Almost like being gently woken into the evening. Then Aaura took over with punk and brought energy into the room. Silifly kept that mood going on the dance floor with his electronic live set (deep/techno). DJ Keruna closed the night with acid/techno/melodic and let the evening drift back into that warm mood.

The mix of musical styles was bold, and it was deliberate. Just as with the visual art, we wanted to live diversity here too and make exchange possible.

And that is exactly what happened at the changeovers. People came for a particular style of music, and some stayed out of curiosity or got chatting at the entrance. The crowd kept mixing in new ways.

After the musical evening programme, which 250 people attended, we looked back with a good feeling. We sensed that free spaces like this are needed. For the people who create them, just as much as for those who visit them.

All the positive feedback and the experience we shared encouraged us to keep going. Afterwards, several people from the project joined the KUBO collective. Together we wanted to create more events and so make free space possible, even if only for a while. At that point we didn’t yet know whether this was the end of KUBO or a new beginning. After a short breather, we say: a new beginning. We won’t give up the fight to keep free space alive, and we want to keep making this feeling something people can experience.

2.1“Why is this project needed?”

Because …

• …there need to be spaces for encounters where people can pursue their interests together and on their own terms.
• …it brings people together – participants and visitors alike
• …it helps shape and enrich culture
• …it gives people a space to show or perform their art for the first time
• …it makes participatory work and cultural participation possible
• …it creates low-threshold access to culture for participants and visitors
• …together we can show by example that culture can be organised, created and lived differently from what has become normal in our consumer society.

Our vision is to make exactly this kind of space for all kinds of art possible in the long term through this project. The project depends on being low-threshold. It stays open and keeps changing, because new people, ideas, visions and knowledge come in again and again.

2.2Where things stand

The KUBO collective is still going and is putting on a new season of the project in 2027. Three art exhibitions with a musical evening programme are planned, at three different venues in the canton of Aargau.

New this time are creative and info stalls, plus a food stall serving creative dishes. Once again, an Open Call is looking for people to join the project: for the music programme, to exhibit their art, to run creative and info stalls, or simply to help make the project happen. The project stays open-ended and low-threshold.

3.1Principles & values

This free space, as we call it, lets us work together free of rules, expectations and hierarchies, so that everyone involved can contribute, shape things together and try things out.

• Bring in your own ideasIdeas, perspectives and additions are equally welcome from everyone
• Try new thingsTogether, we try to make room for trying things out
• Help shape the projectAccording to your own interests and strengths – everyone is an equal member in every process, and there are no expectations/prerequisites for this.
• Share knowledgeSeen as a shared resource – openly accessible to everyone
• Decide togetherEveryone decides as an equal member – openness to change and ongoing negotiation instead of rigid structures
• No hierarchiesNobody sees themselves as more or less – equality in everything
• Non-commercialAccess for everyone by removing financial barriers
• No judgementWe don’t decide what is good or bad – we negotiate instead of judging
• Sensitivity towards each other (including content)We keep reflecting on our own positions – treating each other with care and respect
• Discrimination-free (or at least low-discrimination) interactionWe take different lived realities into account and try to break down barriers and discrimination as far as we can.
• An open culture around mistakesFeedback is welcome, taken seriously and worked through together – existing structures can and should be questioned and adapted

3.2Project structure & programme

Together with artists and musicians, we shape spaces for encounters and bring them to life as art exhibitions, creative stalls and a musical evening programme.

Official project description

These are the questions we explore with the exhibition series «NOCH:NICHT». Together we create spaces for encounters between people, ideas and different art forms. From visual art to music. We bring in our own ideas and shape the project together. The project thrives on new people joining again and again and developing it further with their ideas, interests and experiences.

Who

Where

How

Content

Schedule

Open Call

Working groups (WG)

Internal communication

Meetings

Working materials

Public presence

3.3Audience & impact

• …take up space – create free space together
• …help shape culture
• …create space for exchange
• …make space that reflects diversity
• …collect memories and experiences
• …make room for musicians and artists
• …organise ourselves in solidarity with each other, away from the everyday pressure to perform, be efficient and compete, to create what we want – and without chasing profit
• …experience and live alternative ways of working together
• …make solidarity and self-organisation something we can live

3.4Funding

Our costs are covered by grants, which we apply for from various funding bodies. The project is not-for-profit, and its only income is a voluntary collection at each event. Nothing is sold, except in aid of the shared collection, in exchange for a voluntary contribution of your own choosing.

Our principle

Dividing up the collection

Support options

3.5The people behind it

We are …

Alija (she/her)

Social educator and all-round artist from the Aarau area. She finds and seeks her creative expression through various artistic media. Her openness and versatility show in how she likes to spend her free time: out in nature, playing guitar, programming, knitting and much more. A keen interest in social, political and philosophical questions makes her an interesting person to talk to. She brings experience from a variety of volunteering with different organisations and at events, opening up exciting new perspectives and ideas.

(Translated from German – may not be word for word what this person wrote.)

Daniela (she/her)

Artist and cultural worker from Aarau who works on shaping how people come together and meet in different spaces. As an artist, she expresses herself through painting and also likes to combine different media. Her keen interest in social and socio-political questions and issues, as well as philosophy, runs through all her work and is reflected in her various projects. She finds balance in reading, or in hiking and nature, which she likes to enjoy with her animal companion. With her vegan creations, she likes to build community and connection through sharing food. Loves candles.

(Translated from German – may not be word for word what this person wrote.)

Fabi (they/them)

Anarcho from social work and from Aarau. Has a keen interest in living together in solidarity, and helps shape the local culture scene and ways of coming together accordingly. They are passionate about photography, filming and writing, and find their artistic expression there. Vegan cooking, shared meals and the conversations that come with them are part of their free time. They find balance and relaxation in reading, in nature and in living with their two cats. Activism and caring for each other in solidarity are a big part of their everyday life, so they bring exciting perspectives and open up space for interesting exchange.

(Translated from German – may not be word for word what this person wrote.)

Adriana Moira (she/her)

Animator and illustrator from the Aarau area who loves and lives visual design across different media. As an artist, she also expresses herself through music, singing and playing guitar and ukulele, as well as through songwriting, producing and sound design. All this makes her work, herself and her free time very varied – free time she also fills with swimming, hiking and enjoying nature, travelling and visiting museums. She weaves these impressions and her keen interest in social and socio-political issues into her painting, photography, film and jewellery making.

(Translated from German – may not be word for word what this person wrote.)

Virgínia Neta (she/her)

An artist and cultural worker from Aargau, she likes working with different media, such as drawings, photographs and writing poems. She uses them to process her feelings and is especially interested in combining and mixing languages – something rooted in her trilingual everyday life – and so she reflects this influence on her emotional impressions. She loves not only writing itself but just as much reading, drawing and spending time with her pets and loved ones. Her wish to create a place where people can come together, enjoy their time and be creative strongly shapes her collective work.

(Translated from German – may not be word for word what this person wrote.)

Luna (es/it)

Queer photographer and artist from Aargau, working with various photographic processes, embroidery design, various DIY projects and websites. As a photographer and artist, it matters to Luna that everyone has a voice and a place. It is also interested in being together in solidarity in all its forms, for example at events or when it cooks for people. It loves reading, the moon and everything mechanical and analogue, and brings valuable technical know-how as well as knowledge of photography. With its open and caring nature, it brings people together and strengthens the sense of togetherness and community.

(Translated from German – may not be word for word what this person wrote.)

…and many more wonderful people!