TINGUELY@HOME #18
Video | SODELI, D'KUTTLEBUTZER
(in German)

When Jean Tinguely and his «Kuttlebutzer» clique made Fasnacht history by ‘blowing up’ the Fasnacht Comité on Basel’s Marktplatz in 1974, the shock and awe at the audacity of what had always been an unpredictable, idiosyncratic clique did not last long. There was plenty of huffing and puffing at the brazenness of the men (and one woman) involved, but Fasnacht went ahead as planned. Apparently it could withstand anything – until last year, that is, when it was cancelled less than 72 hours before it was due to begin. That there would be no normal Fasnacht in 2021 either has long been clear, and sure enough, there is very little sign of it at all.

For Basel’s dyed-in-the-wool Fasnacht fans, this is hard to take. So to raise everyone’s spirits, this edition of TINGUELY@HOME recalls the «Kuttlebutzer», the highly irregular clique, which in the 1970s and 1980s Tinguely indulged with many an artfully done performance.

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