Vom Baden lernen

The Social Practices of Bathing

In the city of Baden, bathing has been a tradition for as long as the city has existed. Bathing in the hot springs is essentially the reason for the existence of this Aargau location, and the element of water serves as the starting point for all significant changes that are so prototypical of societal developments in Switzerland.

With the slowed-down festival "Learning from Bathing," Isabelle Meiffert and Mirko Winkel critically examine this exemplary transformation story. They trace the water along with its cultural and social traditions and relate it to the ongoing shift in values. The book is published in conjunction with the festival and documents the scientific and site-specific artistic works – interactive audio walks, walkable and swimmable installations, as well as immersive videos at various locations around the baths and the Limmat.

The book brings together artistic works by Alfredo Jaar, Bianca Kennedy, Fabian Knecht, the collective Arpha, Susanne Lorenz, Sabian Baumann, and Corinn Gerber, as well as a photo series created specifically for the book by Georg Aerni, who captured the historical traces of the thermal springs in the urban space of Baden and Ennetbaden. It includes an introduction by Isabelle Meiffert and Mirko Winkel and an essay by Jochen Gimmel.