The pop-up exhibition “Remember. Understand. Envision.” brings the LEAD Hub’s digital research on historical pandemics to life for a broad audience. Archival materials, data, and oral histories are condensed into an interactive experience that invites reflection on collective memory, social resilience, and digital transformation.
This project builds on the digital infrastructure and knowledge base developed in the LEAD Knowledge Hub, a DIZH-funded Rapid Action Call project realized 2002/2023, and its subsequent extension through the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Science Communication project “Bridging the Gap”.
In journalistic video interviews, contemporary witnesses and their descendants recount personal and family experiences with past pandemics in Switzerland – from the «Spanish flu» (1918–1920) to the «Asian flu» (1957) and the «Hong Kong flu» (1968–1970). Their personal perspective brings history to life and helps to close gaps in collective memory.
Annette Leimgruber
Annette Leimgruber recalls her family’s experiences during the «Spanish flu» in Moutier in 1918.
Ulrich Castelberg
Ulrich Castelberg recalls the «Asian flu» in Biel in 1957/58.
Team
Prof. Dr. Kaspar Staub, UZH Institute of Evolutionary Medicine
Prof. Dr. Wibke Weber, ZHAW Angewandte Linguistik
Running time: 2026-2027
