On Friday 17 August I had a meeting with Nicolas Bourquin at his studio Onlab.

Nic lived and studied in Switzerland before he moved to Germany. He described Berlin as being a unique circumstance in Europe and explained that the relatively inexpensive living conditions that prevail in the city enable members of the creative community to pursue self-initiated projects with relative financial freedom.

Nic founded Onlab as a studio for commissioned and self-initiated work and he maintains an exciting mix of both.

The studio Nic occupies is a collective space that appears to foster cooperation and Nic regularly collaborates with Sven Ehmann a former colleague from publisher Die Gestalten Verlag. Together Nic and Sven established an independent publishing operation named Etc. Publications.

The Etc. Series of bilingual thematic publications offers Nic a platform to explore his cultural and political interests. These topical readers tackle current relevant political issues and gather together diverse groups of international contributors to respond in either textual or visual forms.

 The publications have covered subjects including the condition of Switzerland as a global brand, the issue of European expansion and identity, and an exploration into the meaning of peace in the 21st century. This series of readers is published in a broadsheet format that suggests the immediacy and topicality of a newspaper. The format conveys a sense of urgency and serves well the political content contained within.
Marco in Europe
27 April 2006
09 May 2006
28 May 2006
19 June 2006
31 July 2006
25 August 2006
13 October 2006
18 November 2006
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032c
Georg Barber
Manuel Raeder
Onlab
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Onlab 01/02
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