Heinz Nigg

Heinz Nigg (born 23 August 1949) is a Swiss anthropologist, community artist, and promoter of participatory video. In 1980 he documented the outbreak of the youth riots in Zurich.

Nigg, citizen from Maienfeld and Zurich, grew up with two siblings in Zurich, Switzerland. His parents come from a working-class family and a farmer's family in Maienfeld, Canton of Grisons. His mother was a housewife and dressmaker, whilst his father worked for a non-profit housing association.

In 1967/68 Nigg spent one year as an exchange student in the US, where he was inspired by the artistic expression and politics of the Counterculture of the 60s – the Hippies and Yippies.^[1] From 1969 to 1976 he studied history, political science, and social anthropology at Zurich University. At this time he was also an activist in the youth movement and in the rebellious local art scene. During this period he wrote articles about exhibitions of Minimal and Conceptual art for the Tages-Anzeiger, and for the Kunstnachrichten, a journal of international art^[2]. In 1974, he traveled to New York as assistant of Johannes Gachnang, director of the Kunsthalle Bern.^[3] There he met the artist On Kawara and received a series of postcards from his project I Got Up. In 1975 Nigg collaborated with Izi Fiszman on the international art event Salto Arte in Brussels.^[4]

From 1976 to 1979 Nigg lived in London where he did ethnographic fieldwork on the use of audiovisual tools in Community action and Community organizing, which was published as his dissertation in 1980 in Zurich.^[5] The book was widely distributed and discussed in the UK:^[6][7]

"What Nigg and Wade's research indicates is that video is a medium of rich potential, that is just waiting to be released. They make it clear that were professionals and amateurs have become dedicated to introducing some control over the usually authoritarian medium of TV, and where the monopoly of that resource can be broken down, spirited initiatives are possible. Community Media implies that low-gauge video is far from being just a toy invented to enable the nuclear family better use of programmed TV schedules."^[8]

From 1979 to 1980 Nigg was a lecturer at the Ethnologisches Seminar of Zurich University. Because of a controversial video documentation about the Zurich youth movement and the Opera-House Riots he was banned from teaching at the university.^[9] This case of censorship led to a wave of international solidarity with Dr. Nigg and Prof. Lorenz G. Loeffler, head of the department.^[10]

Since 1980 Nigg has been active as a visual anthropologist and community artist. His fields of interest are social movements, participation in urban development, and the documentation of migration and mobility.^[11] In 2017 he curated Rebel Video for the Swiss National Museum,^[12] an exhibition about the alternative video movements of the 1970s and 1980s in Switzerland and the UK. He mostly works with portraits, based on the methods of Oral History,^[13] and he also maintains his involvement in art and photography projects.

Heinz Nigg is father of a son (* 1981) and lives in Zurich, Switzerland.

In the 1970s and 1980s, a young generation discovered the new medium of video as a tool to make their voices heard in society. Video became a means of expression and communication for protest and enlightenment. The independent video movement, also known as community video, embraced the principle of 'do-it-yourself' to create a 'counter-public'.

Video appealed to different groups: activists in social movements, children and youth in out-of-school educational work, senior citizens communicating with the younger generation, and women's groups. Migrants also used video to document their experiences. The video movement of the 1970s and 1980s influenced different areas of life, from culture, health and education to media art. Video was not just a technological innovation, but a medium that significantly shaped the social, cultural and political dynamics of its time.

Today, video, often referred to as do-it-yourself (DIY) video, continues to play an important role in art, politics, and social movements. It invites participation and is an expression of the digital revolution. It democratises the production and distribution of audiovisual content by enabling individuals and groups to tell their own stories and share their views without relying on traditional media channels. In social movements, DIY video serves as a means of self-expression and identity building, which is particularly important for marginalised groups. DIY video platforms also serve as informal learning spaces where knowledge and experience are shared, fostering a culture of lifelong learning and skills development.

In the political sphere, DIY video has become an important tool for activism and investigative journalism. It enables the documentation of events, the dissemination of critical views and the mobilisation of social movements.

In the arts, DIY video is opening up new forms of creative expression. Artists are using video to create experimental works that often blur the lines between amateur and professional art-making.

There are many benefits to archiving videos from the independent or community video movement of the 1970s and 1980s. These videos are valuable sources for historians seeking insights into social movements and their cultural dynamics. They show how the medium of video was used to highlight protests and social issues, allowing for an in-depth analysis of the lifestyles at the time.^[14][15]

For ethnographic research, video archives are crucial as they provide authentic documentation of communities and their interactions. They illustrate how different social groups made their experiences and demands known to the public. In urban studies, video recordings from the past can demonstrate the development and use of urban space.

In media education and community work, archived video serves as a visual aid to promote media literacy and support creative engagement with video. In the arts, video archives document the evolution of video art and offer unique perspectives on artistic creation.

Video archives are places of memory and contribute to reflection on the role of new media in society.

• Miavista: A visual diary. BoD, Norderstedt 2024, ISBN 978-3-7583-6305-4
• New York: Up Close. A photo book. BoD, Norderstedt 2024, ISBN 978-3-7583-7033-5

• Rebel Video. The Video Movement of the 1970s and 1980s. London, Basel , Bern, Lausanne, and Zurich.Zurich 2017, Verlag Scheidegger & Spiess, ISBN 978-3-85881-801-0
• Sans-papiers on their March for Freedom 2014: how refugees and undocumented migrants challenge Fortress Europe. In: Interface. A journal for and about social movements. Vol 7 (1): i–iv (May 2015) Movement practise(s), pp. 263–288.
• Youth Protest Media in Switzerland. In: John D.H. Downing (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Social Movement Media. Thousand Oaks, California 2011, SAGE Publications, pp. 555–558, ISBN 978-0-7619-2688-7
• Violence and Symbolic Resistance in the Youth Unrest of the Eighties. In: Sønke Gau, Katharina Schlieben. Spectacle, Pleasure Principle or the Carnivalesque? A Reader on Possibilities, Experiences of Difference and Strategies of the Carnivalesque in Cultural/Political Practice. Berlin 2008, b_books, pp. 151–166, ISBN 978-3-933557-78-0
• Together with Graham Wade. Community Media. Community Communication in the UK:video, local TV, film, and photography. A documentary report on six groups. Zurich/London 1980: Regenbogen Verlag, ISBN 3-85862-010-6

• Mittendrin. Ein Tagebuch. AV-Produktionen Heinz Nigg in Zusammenarbeit mit BoD, Norderstedt 2023, ISBN 978-3-75782-000-8

• entrechtet – beraubt – erinnert. Dokumentation über Opfer des Nationalsozialismus mit Bezug zu Zürich. Zürich 2021, edition 8, ISBN 978-3-85990-431-6 With Video (20 mins.) on www.remembered.ch (also with english subtitles)
• Video: Ich sehe! Eine Autobiografie, AV-Produktionen Heinz Nigg in Zusammenarbeit mit BoD, Norderstedt 2021, ISBN 978-3-7534-0450-9
• Rebel Video. Die Videobewegung der 1970er- und 1980er-Jahre. London, Basel , Bern, Lausanne und Zürich. Zürich 2017, Verlag Scheidegger & Spiess, ISBN 978-3-85881-556-9
• Die Achtziger – Porträt einer Bewegung. In: Peter Bichsel, Silvan Lerch. Autonomie auf A4. Wie die Zürcher Jugendbewegung Zeichen setzte. Flugblätter 1979–82. Zürich 2017, Limmat Verlag, S. 233–240, ISBN 978-3-85791-833-9
• Augenöffner: Raubkunst und Fluchtgut erinnern an den Holocaust. In: Thomas Buomberger, Guido Magnaguagno (Hrsg.) Schwarzbuch Bührle. Raubkunst für das Kunsthaus Zürich? Zürich 2015, Rotpunktverlag, pp. 217–231, ISBN 978-3-85869-664-9
• Die Revolution findet auch im Saal statt. In: Urs Kälin, Stefan Keller, Rebekka Wyler (Hrsg.) Hundert Jahre Volkshaus Zürich. Bewegung. Ort. Geschichte. Zürich 2010, hier + jetzt, S. 72–81, ISBN 978-3-03919-149-9
• Die alternative Videobewegung – ein transnationales Phänomen. In: Urs Berger, Ruedi Bind, Julia Zutavern, Adam Szymczxk (Hrsg.): Filmfront(al). Der experimentelle und politische Film der 1970er- und 1980er-Jahre in Basel. Basel 2010, Friedrich Reinhardt Verlag, S. 27–32, ISBN 978-3-7245-1657-6
• Global Town Baden. 30 Porträts aus einer urbanen Region. Zürich 2010, Limmat Verlag, ISBN 978-3-85791-617-5
• Gewalt und symbolischer Widerstand in den Jugendunruhen der Achtzigerjahre. In: Sønke Gau, Katharina Schlieben. Spektakel, Lustprinzip oder das Karnavaleske? Ein Reader über Möglichkeiten, Differenzerfahrungen und Strategien des Karnavalesken in kultureller/politischer Praxis. Berlin 2008, b_books, S. 141–150, ISBN 978-3-933557-78-0
• Wir sind wenige, aber wir sind alle. Biografien aus der 68er-Generation in der Schweiz. Zürich 2008, Limmat Verlag, ISBN 978-3-85791-546-8
• Die Xenixen. Vier Porträts aus einem multikulturellen Kino in Zürich. In: Veronika Grob, René Moser, Beat Schneider (Hrsg.) XENIX - Kino als Programm. Zürich 2006, Schüren Verlag, S. 68–93, ISBN 3-89472-403-X
• Express yourself. Video als widerständische Praxis in der Jugendbewegung der 1980er-Jahre. In: Andreas Broekmann, Rudolf Frieling (Hrsg.) Bandbreite. Medien zwischen Kunst und Politik. Berlin 2004, Kulturverlag Kadmos, S. 69–74, ISBN 3-931659-65-8
• Mappamondo. Textcollage einer kleinen Welterkundung. In: Matthias Michel (Hrsg.): Wissenschaft und Welterzählung: Die narrative Ordnung der Dinge. Edition Collegium Helveticum, Band 1. Zürich 2003, Chronos Verlag, S. 231-33, ISBN 978-3-0340-0643-9
• Wir wollen alles, und zwar subito. Die Achtziger Jugendunruhen in der Schweiz und ihre Folgen. Mit Videokompilation auf DVD und Website. Zürich 2001, Limmat Verlag (vergriffen), ISBN 3-85791-375-4
• Da und fort. Leben in zwei Welten. Immigration und Binnenwanderung in der Schweiz. Zürich 1999, Limmat Verlag, ISBN 3-85791-331-2
• Zusammen mit Martin Heller und Claude Lichtenstein. Letten it be. Eine Stadt und ihr Problem. Zürich 1995, Schriftenreihe 19 des Museums für Gestaltung, ISBN 3-907065-58-1
• Zusammen mit Margrit Bürer. VIDEO: Praktische Videoarbeit mit Kindern und Jugendlichen. Zürich 1990: Pro Juventute Verlag, vergriffen, ISBN 3-7152-0186-X
• Zusammen mit Elsbeth Kuchen. "Jungi mached Fernseh!" Videoarbeit mit Kindern und Jugendlichen, Zürich, Sommer 1980. In: CINEMA. Unabhängige schweizerische Filmzeitschrift, 26. Jahrgang, Nummer 3/80, S. 23–31

• Heinz Nigg in the British Library
• Heinz Nigg in the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
• Heinz Nigg on his website
• Crossborder and internal migration in Switzerland 1945-2000: Here and Away. Living in two Worlds