For over forty years, the ETH parking garage was one of Harald Naegeli’s favorite places. The first spray drawings he made here date back to the 1970s. The last ones were made in 2019. Even in the more than thirty years in which the sprayer had moved his residence from Zurich to Düsseldorf for political reasons, he always returned to this place – or non-place – on his shorter or longer flying visits to his hometown to make new graffiti or to freshen up or add to existing ones that were getting a bit long in the tooth.

A total of about 40 graffiti have thus been created over the period of several decades and have turned the inhospitable underground parking lot into a total work of art, a unique cave museum. Nowhere else in the world can you find a comparable collection of graffiti by Harald Naegeli, who was awarded the Art Prize of the City of Zurich in 2020.

ETH Zurich’s careful handling of the graffiti in the course of the necessary renovation of the ETH parking garage is a sign of appreciation for Harald Naegeli’s work. Despite all efforts, however, not all 40 graffiti can be preserved. A good dozen of the spray drawings will inevitably fall victim to the renovation. This is as regrettable as it is understandable. Graffiti are ephemeral art, not meant to last forever, but to last for a limited period of time.
This fact was taken up by the Musée Visionnaire in workshops for children and young people at the ETH Garage. Under the direction of Manuela Hitz, artistic director of the Musée Visionnaire, and the class teachers Christina Studer and Patrizia Studer, schoolchildren were introduced to the topic over several weeks, in order to finally come to terms in their own way with what is – and what remains or does not remain.

Evelyn Steigbügel accompanied the process with her camera. The result is a video that gives insight into contemporary mediation activities and shows how creativity can be released individually and unconventionally outside the classroom.

Sixth-graders who spend a morning each week at the Musée Visionnaire as part of the pilot project “School in the Museum” become dedicated mediators in the ETH Garage and pass on their knowledge to younger children. Others think about art and its transience, express themselves creatively, are inspired to rap or interpret the graffiti with acrobatic interludes.

The spider at the exit
She likes the place because it has a lot of dust. She has been there for a long time, because she lurks and watches everything around her. Nobody is safe from her. But now she has to pick up a few things until she disappears. She will still stretch a net and catch as much as possible with it. I will thank her again for showing me a part of her and a part of Harald Naegeli. Hopefully the other graffiti can do as well as the spider. Because I am very interested in how Harald Naegeli sprays or what his graffiti exudes. Spider you are gone. Now you’re gone.

Aglaja, 12 years

The always running away fish!
Dear fish!
You try to run away, but you can not run away from change! A big, strong graffiti you are and you always look straight! But how will you react when many of your friends disappear? Will your career be limited? Will there even be a reason to run away then?
When everything disappears and the ETH garage is just a normal car garage!
Dear fish, you have always been a source of encouragement to me!
When I was not feeling well, I always saw your look, always, proudly looking forward. Even if you were afraid of something and you could see it, you always kept going no matter what! Because the fear can also drive us!
So do not be sad! Change is usually painful, but it can also give you a whole new outlook!
Keep looking forward and be proud that you are a graffiti sprayed by Harald Nägeli!
I will miss the others too!
Yours Inga

Graffiti with wheel
I like the graffiti because it is simple. At first I saw mostly strokes. But with time I discovered the being with the wheel in the strokes. This graffiti is one of about 40 graffiti in the garage of ETH Zurich. In 1979, Naegeli was caught spraying by the janitor. Unfortunately, some graffiti will soon fall victim to renovation and disappear. Fortunately, a few are saved.
This graffiti is quiet and inconspicuous and consists almost only of corners and lines, also reminiscent of the conduit pipes on the ceiling. The wheel stands out. Let it be the wheel of progress. Things change, and the wheel keeps turning and turning. The wheel encourages reflection and further development. Tictac Tictac Tictac… It inspired Luis and me to take aerial leaps with bicycle wheels.

Anouk, 12 years

Durch die Workshops in der ETH Garage wurden sie zu Zeitzeugen eines Kulturgutes, das es in dieser Form in absehbarer Zeit nicht mehr geben wird, durch ihre aktive Auseinandersetzung mit den Graffiti jedoch im Sinne eines lebendigen Archivs in Erinnerung bleiben wird.
Im Rahmen unserer Vermittlungsworkshops mit «Schule im Museum» haben wir zahlreiche Führungen und Workshops in der Garage mit Kindern und Erwachsenen durchgeführt:
Von März – Mai 2021
– haben über 600 Kinder und 300 Erwachsene die Garage besucht.
– haben 15 Kinder andere Kinder durch die Garage geführt.
– haben wir 23 Workshops organisiert.
– fanden in Kooperation mit guerillaclassics zwei musikalische Naegeli-Spaziergänge statt.
– wurden über 2000 Fotos geknipst.
– wurden 18 Abschiedsbriefe verfasst.
– ist ein Film von Evelyn Steigbügel entstanden.

Fotos: ©Manuela Hitz, guerillaclassics,

Text: Yvonne Türler