In the heart of the city of Zurich, from September 8, 2023 to October 15, 2023, photographers and scientists will jointly present a unique new communication format. It promotes a new era of understanding the world. The focus is on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
My name is Lois Lammerhuber and together with Hans-Rudolf Strasser and Silvia Lammerhuber I am responsible for the NGO „open your eyes“. Under the patronage of the Delegate of the Swiss Federal Council for the 2030 Agenda and in cooperation with the ETH Zurich – one of the leading universities in the world – and The Photo Society (TPS) – the association of over 200 National Geographic photographers – we are organizing this festival.
Spacious open-air installations interweave documentary photography and scientific findings in 17 exhibition islands to create a plea for peace, tolerance and a coexistence borne by a humanistic spirit. The aesthetic magic of the picture narratives transforms the gardens, streets and squares of Zurich into a picture city. Public space becomes the stage set for a Gesamtkunstwerk, whose meaning is linked to scientific research results and innovations that affect us all. The photographic works presented are not to be understood as illustrations of the SDGs, but as comments and annotations in the sense of Cornell Capa’s „Concerned Photographers.“ Capa chose this term to describe works that go beyond documenting events and show them with a humanitarian impulse. This school of thought is also known as a concept related to science: The term „Concerned Scientists“ is used to describe the use of independent science to solve our planet’s most pressing problems.
Prepare to be inspired!
Hans-Rudolf Strasser Founder, President open your eyes
Lois Lammerhuber Founder, Art Director & Curator open your eyes
Claudia Zingerli Head of ETH Sustainability
Gerd Ludwig Photographer, representing The Photo Society
Karin Rehn-Kaufmann Art Director Leica International
Dominik Nahr Photographer NZZ
View the recording of our July 17, 2023 online press conference here.