Long-term Photographic Observation of Schlieren 2005–2020

Research project at Zurich University of the Arts/Institute for Contemporary Art Research
Project management: Meret Wandeler, Ulrich Görlich
Partner: Town of Schlieren, Metron AG, State Archives of the Canton of Zurich
Photography: Overviews 2005 Meret Wandeler/Ulrich Görlich, Rephotography 2007 Elmar Mauch, 2009–2019 Christian Schwager; Detailed Views 2005 Meret Wandeler/Ulrich Görlich, 2010–2015 Meret Wandeler

The project documents the urban transformation of Schlieren, a suburban community to the west of Zurich, over a period of 15 years. Overviews of 63 locations throughout the entire urban area are rephotographed every two years under the same photographic conditions. Series of detailed views are repeated every five years on a thematic basis.

Overviews

Photographs 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019

Detailed views

Photographs 2005–2015

Starting point for the long-term observation was the urban development plan compiled by Metron AG for Schlieren in 2005. Pictures are taken across the town in areas with different function and history: the town center, developing zones in former industrial areas, stable commercial zones, residential neighborhoods, green spaces. The project documents massive interventions both in the town center and the former industrial areas, where large new developments have been undertaken. Alongside this, it observes the subtle changes in residential areas and green spaces. The observation concept contrasts two forms of spatial perception: overviews and detailed views. Overviews trace changes in the interplay of buildings, street spaces and open areas. 63 locations throughout the entire urban area are rephotographed every two years under the same photographic conditions. Detailed views focus on individual objects and constellations typical of the usage, character and atmosphere of an area. They are repated every five years on a thematic basis. The standardization of image parameters for both types of pictures creates consistent, understandable observation conditions that permit a comparison of change processes at different locations. The entire image archive can be viewed online at www.beobachtung-schlieren.ch.

Schlieren, directly adjacent to Zurich, has undergone one of the most spectacular developments within this metropolitan region. In the 1990s, Schlieren was considered a “non-place,” a typical peripheral zone with inhospitable public spaces and a negative image. Since the start of the long-term observation, the town underwent a construction boom of unforeseen scale. The former industrial zones have now been fully built over with a mix of residential and commercial usage. Public parks link the ensembles by different architects and in the center there is a new town square. A new tram line from Zurich to Schlieren and on into the Limmat valley is currently under construction. The population has risen from 12,000 to over 18,000.  

The question of how towns and landscapes change in the process of urbanization is the subject of intense and controversial discussions in Switzerland. The example of Schlieren can be used to trace how processes of transformation currently taking place in the Zurich metropolitan region are impacting the local living environment. The long-term observation creates a unique photographic documentation of change across an entire community.