Artistic Conversations • Between Frequency, Freedom, and Funding: Why Culture and Commerce Aren’t Enemies
- Tallulah Patricia B
- Jun 13
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 23
Text by Tallulah Patricia
All photos taken by the talented Jayanthan
Some rooms don’t need spotlights to make an impact. They don’t require stages or scripts. Just chairs in a circle, voices that are willing, and a question deep enough to echo.
That’s how the inaugural edition of The Artistic Conversations • began—hosted inside The Artistic, the cultural wing of Zurich’s most future-forward co-working space, HeadsQuarter.
No panels,
no hierarchy,
no pretense.
Just a collective container for conversation—for humans- artists, producers, musicians, curators, thinkers, and those who build culture with their hands and hearts.
To open the series, two iconic figures of the Swiss cultural landscape were invited:
Oliver Scotoni, founder of the now-legendary Rundfunk, and
Michel Pernet, journalist, entrepreneur, and force behind formats like PhotoSCHWEIZ, Blofeld Entertainment, and Black Art Matters.
But the evening wasn’t about status. It was about story. And about how culture isn’t something you show—it’s something you carry.
A Room That Listens: Why HeadsQuarter Matters
Choosing HeadsQuarter as the location was intentional. It’s not just a shared office—it’s a mindset. The Artistic, its dedicated cultural space, is a pulse point for new thinking: aesthetic, multidisciplinary, and quietly radical.
Artistic Conversations • took shape in a circle. No podiums, no large audience rows—just one big roundtable designed for ripple effects, listening, questioning, interrupting, and connecting (More about HeadsQuarter at the bottom of this article).
Rundfunk: How a Frequency Became a Feeling
Oliver Scotoni opened with the story of how Rundfunk began—not as a radio station, but as an intervention. In the early 2000s, Zurich’s notorious drug zone at Oberer Letten needed revitalization. The city gave him access to one thing: a frequency.
“I had no money, no resources—just a frequency. But I knew frequency meant connection.”(„Ich hatte nichts. Keine Ressourcen. Aber ich hatte eine Frequenz.“)
He used it to link hair salons, bars, fashion boutiques and parks into a city-wide soundscape inspired by Indian temples and African urban rituals. DJs were asked to score moods: sunny mornings, rainy afternoons, quiet evenings.
“Life is a movie—we created the soundtrack.”(„Jedes Leben ist ein Film – wir lieferten den Soundtrack.“)
Today, Rundfunk employs over 200 creatives. But its soul hasn’t changed. It remains, in Scotoni’s words, “an institution with heart.”
Michel Pernet: From Lotto Nights to Global Showcases
Michel Pernet took us back to his first cultural production—at age 19, in an abandoned factory in Zug. He ran a youth festival where the only rule was that no one could be over 30. Imagine! (Züri West was the only exception.)
Several years and many succesful festivals and events later came Black Art Matters, a massive photographic exhibition featuring over 80 Black photographers from around the world—staged before the global reckoning of 2020.
“It wasn’t a reaction to George Floyd. It was about understanding, not confrontation.”(„Wir wollten keine Reaktion auf Floyd – wir wollten einen Raum für Verständnis, nicht für Konfrontation.“)
With curators from Eritrea and Ghana, and support from figures like Obama’s personal photographer, the project became one of the largest showcases of Black photography in Europe.
“Curation for me means making visible what others keep invisible.”(„Kuratieren heisst für mich: sichtbar machen, was andere unsichtbar halten.“)
Voices in the Room: Creating Without Permission
The evening was never meant to be top-down. Audience voices were integral.
Philippe Stalder, a journalist-turned-filmmaker, spoke about financing his first documentary Reclaiming Cocoa out of pocket—chronicling Switzerland’s colonial cocoa legacy in Ghana.
“I used my vacation days and my own salary to shoot this film—not because it made financial sense, but because the story needed to be told.”(„Ich habe meine Ferien geopfert, um diesen Film zu machen – weil diese Geschichte erzählt werden musste. Nicht weil sie sich verkauft.“)
Angela E. Wilhelm, co-founder of the independent KUSASA Gallery Project, reflected on the challenges of sustaining a space for underrepresented artists with no structural funding. And California-born artist, coach and teacher, Mark Damon Harvey shared how he co-founded FatArt.ch—the first feminist art fair in Switzerland.
Every voice added texture to the theme:
Culture isn’t consumed.
It’s cultivated.
Here We Grow: Streaming as Protest
Scotoni then presented one of the evening’s most surprising projects: Here We Grow, a streaming-based environmental artwork.
“Spotify pays out after 32 seconds—so I asked 25 musicians to compose 32-second pieces using rainforest sounds. When played on loop, they generate micro-donations to buy back rainforest.”(„Spotify zahlt ab 32 Sekunden aus. Also lassen wir Menschen 32-Sekunden-Stücke mit Urwaldgeräuschen im Loop hören – und kaufen damit Regenwald zurück.“)
One week of collective streaming by 100,000 people could raise over 2 million CHF in reforestation funds. The work is less about virality, more about collective consciousness.
“For me, art is about small gestures that ripple out.”
Culture & Commerce: A Necessary Tension
When asked how to fund culture without diluting it, Pernet answered bluntly:
“Culture needs capital. The real question is: who’s paying—and for what?”(„Kultur braucht Kapital. Die Frage ist: Wer bezahlt – und warum?“)
Both men agreed: the answer isn’t to avoid money—it’s to curate it. To align values with funding, and protect the heart of the work.
“I used to want the whole cake. Now I share the slices—and it tastes better.” — Oliver Scotoni(„Früher wollte ich den ganzen Kuchen. Heute teile ich ihn auf – und er schmeckt besser.“)
“Popular isn’t a dirty word. Culture should delight people.” — Michel Pernet(„Populär ist kein Schimpfwort. Kultur muss unterhalten dürfen.“)
Closing in Connection
The evening ended with an impromptu performance by jazz singers Laetitia (@pvlmyr) and Sarah Abrigada, gin and wine flowed (thank you to Ale and Bread and Pandora’s Wineyard), and conversations spilled into corners.
What remained was the memory of a room that chose to listen instead of pitch, to reflect instead of brand.
As I said during the closing:
“Mensch. Maschine. Mit Herz.”A human-machine with heart.A hybrid space where technology, story, and cultural stewardship can coexist—and even nourish one another.
The Evening closed with bites and summer vibes by House of Vader. Many thanks to Issey and his eclectic Amapiano sound wave.
⟶ What’s Next?
Artistic Conversations • continues this summer, hosted at HeadsQuarter and curated through a shared sense of sharing space. Intentionally, wholeheartedly, inspired.
Expect new themes, new speakers, and the same bold invitation:
Show up as you are.
Speak what you see.
Stay if it moves you.
Michel Pernet – In a Nutshell
Michel Pernet is a Swiss journalist, cultural entrepreneur, producer, and founder of Blofeld Entertainment. Over the past two decades, he has curated, financed, and launched some of the most impactful cultural platforms in Switzerland—often ahead of their time.
He is the founder and director of PhotoSCHWEIZ, the largest photography exhibition in Switzerland, hosted annually at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, featuring up to 250 photographers and attracting over 25,000 visitors.
As a media producer and event curator, he has shaped formats that combine street culture, photography, architecture, music, and public conversation into accessible and inclusive festivals, often outside of traditional institutions.
He co-created Black Art Matters, a pioneering exhibition platform dedicated to Black photographers from around the world—launched in Zurich in 2019, with more than 80 artists from the U.S., Africa, and Europe, including Obama’s official photographer. The project was curated with international partners and sparked critical visibility for diasporic voices in Swiss photography.
Pernet previously developed Lottoabende (lotto nights), one of Switzerland’s most unlikely and successful cultural comedy formats, merging satire and performance art into sold-out shows with widespread appeal.
His Bingo Show, co-produced with Beat Schlatter, became one of the most successful event productions in Switzerland, with over 150 shows and major corporate bookings.
Beyond the arts, he has long championed popular culture as a legitimate cultural form—frequently investing commercial profits into grassroots initiatives.
He’s also been involved in curating photography collections for spaces like the Roomers Hotel Frankfurt, where 150 rooms feature curated Swiss art photography—proving that commerce and culture can align when the storytelling is right.
Michel Pernet moves between curation, cultural logistics, and funding strategy with agility. He is known for bridging subculture and mainstream, always with an eye for inclusion, aesthetics, and impact.
Oliver Scotoni – In a Nutshell
Oliver Scotoni is a Swiss cultural architect, radio innovator, and founder of Rundfunk—a hybrid between sound art, radio station, and urban movement that has redefined Zurich’s cultural infrastructure over the past two decades.
In 2000, Scotoni received a public commission from the City of Zurich to “activate” the neglected and drug-ridden area around Oberer Letten. With no resources but access to a radio frequency, he founded Rundfunk—originally intended as a sonic intervention to reclaim urban space through music.
Drawing inspiration from African and Indian city rhythms, where soundscapes accompany daily life, he conceptualized a format in which DJs composed music for different moods and times of day—a soundtrack for people’s lives, broadcast across Zurich via ghetto blasters placed in fashion stores, hair salons, and public parks.
“Life is a movie. We made the soundtrack.”
What began as a subversive workaround became a city-wide cultural ritual. Over time, Rundfunk evolved into one of Switzerland’s most beloved DJ institutions—supporting over 200 creatives annually and offering a platform rooted in love for music, not commercialism.
Scotoni’s curation philosophy remains uncompromising:
“I don’t want commercial sets. I want love. That’s the only currency.”
Beyond Rundfunk, he initiated Here We Grow, a radical environmental art and streaming project. By leveraging Spotify’s minimum payout logic (32 seconds), he collaborated with 25 international artists to produce rainforest soundtracks that, when looped during sleep, generate micro-donations to buy back rainforest land—turning passive listening into environmental impact.
A former marketing professional and autodidact, Scotoni is also a business mind:
“I studied business so I could stay independent. I create the vision—then I bring in partners who can scale it.”
His work lives at the intersection of sonic curation, social transformation, and independent vision. Whether reimagining a city’s rhythm or hacking streaming economics, Scotoni exemplifies what it means to build culture from intuition, iteration, and purpose.
HeadsQuarter at a Glance
Premium “boutique” coworking network in Zurich
HeadsQuarter operates five centrally located workspaces across Zurich — including Ernst‑Nobs‑Platz, Talacker, Uraniastrasse, Beethovenstrasse, and Stockerstrasse 33 — each designed to serve a wide range of organizations, from small startups to corporate teams.
Best‑in‑class design meets hospitality
Crafted by renowned studio Aisslinger (in collaboration with Aquilas), its interiors balance transparency and focus, analogue comfort and digital readiness. Members benefit from hotel‑style support services — multilingual reception, on‑site IT, gyms, meeting rooms, event facilities, and rooftop bars.
Community, flexibility & smart scalability
HeadsQuarter prioritizes community building with curated events and a flexible membership model (month‑to‑month, six‑to‑36‑month contracts), without requiring long-term leases. Their tagline—“work is half of life; community the other half”—captures their focus on connection and collaboration.
The Artistic (Stockerstrasse 33)
The flagship cultural space within HeadsQuarter, spanning 4,100 m² with 500+ desks and private suites includes a broadcast-grade studio, event venues, rooftop bar, and flexible communal zones — all curated for storytelling, dialogue, and creative collision.
Home to Artistic Conversations •
Artistic Conversations • was launched in The Artistic precisely because its spatial DNA supports curated storytelling, intimate audio narratives, and performative exchange. It is a place where design, acoustics, hospitality, and strategic programming converge — allowing the series to unfold in a circle of real human connection.
Why HeadsQuarter Matters
Design-led environments, built for focus and spontaneous encounters — ideal for creative and cultural formats.
Hospitality-first services that let hosts focus on curating content, not logistics.
A vibrant community of tech startups, creatives, and culture-makers — offering built-in audiences and partnerships.
Agile booking options, supporting one-off events like Artistic Conversations • without long-term commitments.
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