Space for art in the city heart

What can be done_ 10.9 07

W1 Recently I talked to Mark Divo about his art practice.

W2
Mark is an established artist/curator from Zurich, he became known
through his organization of large-scale interactive art projects
incorporating the work of a number of well-known underground artists in
the 80's. (Wiki: mark divo)

W3 When I met Mark on the
building site of a new age housing complex development at the outskirts
of Zurich, he was working on three sculptures that featured ruins of a
kitchen, a living- and a bedroom. The form of the sculptures directly
copied the architecture of the buildings that had been knocked down and
replaced by a new housing complex. Mark had participated in a public
competition and won a commission to realize the project.

W4
I am looking for a studio since a couple of weeks and have started
researching empty buildings and unused spaces in town. I do not have
much experience in squatting, which was the main reason I wanted to
talk to an expert in the field.

Facts:

• Old buildings in the city center get knocked down and turned into luxury apartments or shopping malls.

• At the moment there are quite a few buildings in the center of
  Zurich empty, often developers have to wait a long time to get
  permissions for their development plans.

• Habitants of the affected areas are angry about the situation.
  Most people have been living in their flats for more than 20 years, in
  many cases they have to move outside town, they cannot afford city
  prices.

Struggle:

• City centered areas in Zurich live of the diverse mix of habitants.As
  old buildings get turned into luxury complexes, workshops, small
  shops/boutiques, artist studios move, the local scene disintegrates.

• Artists move out of the city, often they move to another cheaper
  city, wealth and commerce remains. Established artists only return for
  commissioned projects or to sell work, there is no need for them to
  bite the feeding hand.

Question:

• What happens when a city is taken over by commerce?

• It turns into a playground for the powerful, ruling without any mirror or reflection of their action?

• Is this the way things go? Is moving out the only solution? What if one day there is no other places to move to?