In change. As a society and as individuals, we are in constant change. Images can create clarity, irritate and stimulate reflection.

For Lenzburg in particular, the increase from 8,000 to 12,000 inhabitants over the last four years means that newcomers will find older, established citizens. What does that mean for the identity of our city? How do we create identity through our use of images?

From today's flood of images, the Fotofestival picks out facets that revolve around the search for identity in change, the formation of identities in demarcation and living together with others.

Open-air exhibition
«Our City in Change»

Unique pictures from the Nussbaum Archive displayed for the first time in public

The pictures exhibited along the Bahnhofstrasse are part of the Nussbaum archive, which has been owned by the Museum Burghalde for some years but has not yet been opened to the public. In a collection of almost 20,000 photos, Armin Nussbaum (1919-2009) documented the structural changes in Lenzburg from 1956 to 2006, as a construction site reporter.

His most impressive photographs are exhibited with installations on Bahnhofstrasse. Visitors will be taken on a visual walk towards the city centre, highlighting questions about the importance of urban development. These pictures, never before published, give the viewer a new perspective on the history of the city of Lenzburg, as well as the opportunity to discover places which were strongly influenced by the structural change. This is intended to stimulate reflection on the identity of the city, the role of change in our personal geography, and how we deal with constant change. By means of audio commentaries, visitors can immerse themselves in the everyday life of Lenzburg at that time.

In cooperation with Museum Burghalde.

Open-air exhibition
in the old center of Lenzburg:
«In Change»

The selection of the best photos from our open call In change will be exhibited in the shop windows of the Old Town during the course of the festival, transforming the city into an open-air gallery. Throughout the exhibition, the public will have the possibility to vote for their favourite picture. The Audience Award event, on 17 May, will conclude the festival.

Our selectors:

Antonio Carloni, Director of Festival Cortona on the Move; Andreas Geis, Curator of Stapferhaus Lenzburg; Sven Eisenhut, Director of Photo Basel; Margherita Guerra, Director of Fotofestival Lenzburg; Sara Guerrini, freelance curator; Simon Tanner, Photographer of the NZZ and president of the vfg (Association of Photographic Designers); Romano Zerbini, Director of Photobastei Zürich.

The competition is closed since March 23 and the best images have been chosen. The winner will be announced at the Opening on April 27.

In cooperation with the Centrum-Lenzburg association

Exhibition locations plan