> INSIDE: YOUNG STAGE CIRCUS • BREAST CANCER SCREENING • AUGUSTA RAURICA • BASEL’S MARKETS Volume 3 Issue 8 CHF 5/€5 A Monthly Guide to Living in Basel May 2015 Basel’s Basilisk The Story Behind the Myth... LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Basel Life Readers: With the temperature heating up in Basel, you may try to cool down with a sip at one of Basel’s many drinking fountains—only to notice a threatening-look- May 2015 Volume 3 Issue 8 ing bird-like creature staring down at you. In this month’s issue of Basel Life Magazine, you can learn all about these Basilisks, Basel’s mythical beasts. TABLE OF CONTENTS Culture knows no bounds this month in Basel. In addition to the usual plethora of shows and music concerts of all kinds—from jazz and blues to pop and clas- Events in Basel: May 2015 4-8 sic rock—Basel welcomes the Bildrausch Film Festival, the Videocity.ch art fair, and Fantasy Basel for fantasy freaks, digital geeks, and game addicts. Also, many of Basel’s museums will be featuring special activities and attractions in Basel Traditions: Basel’s Basilisks 9 association with International Museums’ Day, in addition to their usual wealth of permanent and temporary exhibits. Fun Outings: Beyond Basel 10-11 May also brings an abundance of attractions suitable for the whole family, from a horse-and-buggy competition and a classic car fair to various circuses, pup- pet and children’s theaters, Sunday matinées, family concerts, magic and clown Markets and Fairs 12-13 shows, family musicals, and a sheep-shearing event. Also be sure to check out the full list of workshops, tours, and activities offered at the Roman ruins of Augusta Raurica this season. Special Report: Augusta Raurica 14-15 If the warmth of spring entices you to spend your time outdoors, there are many options. You can enjoy a lazy day at one of Basel’s outdoor swimming pools, take a day-long family bike ride, challenge yourself with an evening bike race, join Calendar: May 2015 16-17 a field hockey or cricket club, sign up for the annual three-country run, or go white-water rafting just minutes from Basel. Workshops, Tours, and Education 18-21 For those who are looking to get out of Basel for the day we also offer numer- ous suggestions. In May, you’ll have a chance to get to know some of the local wineries, go back in time with a visit to a Medieval Festival, or experience the Sports and Recreation 22-25 magical atmosphere of a night visit to one of Alsace’s most spectacular castles. A bit further afield, you can soak in the colorful sights and smells of spring on Mainau Island in Lake Constance, one of Germany’s most beautiful attractions. Information Desk: Breast Cancer Screening 26 Spring also marks the start of market season, and Basel has no shortage of regular markets to buy local fresh produce or find that special antique lamp. So why not clip out our overview of Basel’s great markets to refer to all year? Fi- Swissness in a Nutshell: Punctuality 27 nally, flip to our Information Desk to learn about Basel’s breast cancer screen- ing program and how you can participate. Entertainment: Night on the Town 28-31 Warmest wishes for fun-filled days, Christine Ticket Office: Get Your Tickets Now! 31 Christine Pesold Editor-in-Chief [email protected] Mark Your Calendar: June 2015 back page COVER: When most people hear the word “basilisk,” they think of the mythological Basel Life Magazine Staff: creature. But there are actually real-life basilisks, and if you are lucky, you can spot Editor-in-Chief: one right here in Basel, in the tropical building of Basel University’s botanical gar- Christine Pesold den! The plumed basilisk—also known as green basilisk, double-crested basilisk, Jesus Christ lizard, and scientifically Advertising & Subscription Manager / Editor: as Basiliscus plumifrons—is a lizard Susanne Hiller native to Central America. They are Art Director: bright green in color with blueish Jon Hoefer spots on the back and typically reach about 80 cm in length (most of it tail). Graphic Designer: The name derives from the crests, Tammy Demelier of which males have three on their head, back, and tail, whereas the For more information about subscribing or advertising – please contact us: females only have one on the head. [email protected] So if you happen to visit the botani- www.facebook.com/basellifemagazine cal garden, see if you can spot their www.basellife.com basilisk among the foliage! BASEL LIFE MAGAZINE / BASEL FAMILY GmbH © Copyright 2015. All rights reserved. It is our goal to provide valuable, timely information to our readers. The opinions expressed in the articles in this magazine are those of the contributing authors and do not reflect those of other members of the editorial staff and of any organizations or agencies distributing this magazine. Though we make every attempt to provide accurate information, we cannot be held respon- sible if any event is cancelled, postponed, or modified. We encourage readers to contact the event organizers or their websites to obtain the most current event information. Please note: No part of this periodical may be duplicated in any fashion, or redistributed in any written language, without permission from the executive staff at Basel Family GmbH. If you have any questions, contact Basel Family GmbH staff at: [email protected]. 2 Basel Life Magazine / www.basellife.com photo credits: © susanne hiller (cover), © bruno erny May 2015 3 Events in Basel: May 2015 Opium Frank Stella Exhibit Until January 24, 2016 May 9 – August 30 The Museum der Kulturen Basel is hosting an exhibition about The Museum für Gegenwartskunst (Museum of Contemporary Art) in the history of opium, from its cultivation and trade to the tools and Basel will be featuring an exhibit on the works of American painter objects for the production and consumption of the drug. Cultic Frank Stella. In 1958, then barely over 20 years old, he conceived his symbol, popular drug of intoxication, source of inspiration for poets striped paintings, taking abstraction in art to a new level of radical- and writers, reason for war, brown fairy, Holy Smoke, Satan’s plant, ism. A year later, his stripe paintings in black caused a sensation in poison—opium has been awarded many attributes and names. The New York. Stella not only reduced the palette to a minimum, he also experience of opium intoxication is also addressed, as described in eschewed any hint of spatial depth and undid the distinction between the literature by opium consumers. The exhibition illustrates how figure and ground. His art avoided any illusionism and emphasized perceptions and opinions of this sticky brown mass have changed the flatness of the canvas and its object-like qualities. In 1960, Stella over time and shows opium in its many dimensions—repulsive, fear- started to turn his paintings into geometric objects in earnest, paint- inducing, mythical, fictional, poetic, fascinating, and inspiring. There ing stripes on U- or V-shaped canvases; his palette remained very are a number of German-language talks and tours related to the restrained. Over the 10 years that followed, these spectacular shaped exhibit; for a complete list, visit their website. canvases with their minimalism evolved into colorful geometric con- www.mkb.ch stellations constructed using a compass, which in turn gave way, in the 1970s, to collages in space made of painted aluminum. The Das Tanzfest (Dance Festival) second part of this exhibition exploring Frank Stella’s early oeuvre is Zirkus Rägeboge Badischer Bahnhof. The program on this Sunday is “Frühlungsser- May 7-10 dedicated to the so-called working drawings, ostensibly casual drafts on pieces of notepaper or stationery. Spontaneous sketches visualize Until May 3 enade Nr.1” (Spring Serenade No.1) by Johannes Brahms. These On these four days, Basel will be transformed into one large dance Sunday matinées start at 11:00 and form a thematic link to the sym- nascent pictorial ideas that he elaborates on in several different ver- The young talents at Basel’s circus school, Zirkus Rägeboge, are party. The Tanzfest starts on Thursday evening at the Roxy in Birs- phony concerts that take place the following week at the Stadt-Casino sions. Lists of potential titles appear next to schematic layouts that cordially inviting all spectators to watch their latest program “Räge- felden. The party takes to the streets on Friday starting at 16:00 on the Basel. Free childcare is provided during the concert; however, you note the paints to be used in the realization on canvas. The drawings bogestadt” at Querfeldhalle in the Gundeldingerfeld, at Dornacher- Freie Strasse. There will be indoor and outdoor events, dances, per- must register your child for this option at least one week before the thus offer illuminating insight into Stella’s creative method. strasse 192 in Basel. Entrance costs CHF 15 for adults and CHF 9 for formances, discussions, and workshops from Friday to Sunday. For a event at 061-683-1313. Complete your Sunday matinée with a brunch www.kunstmuseumbasel.ch kids—visit their website for a list of show times. complete list of times and locations for the various events check out afterwards at the Bar du Nord. Tickets for the concert are CHF 30 for the program on the official site. As this is a Switzerland-wide event, www.zirkusschulebasel.ch/ZSB1/kalender adults, CHF 8 for kids, and free for kids under 6; discounts with the be sure to select the location Basel.