Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Address: Bahnhofplatz 15, CH-8001
Date: April 2025
Website: https://www.dietermeier.com
Zurich Hauptbahnhof is one of the busiest train stations in Europe. The main hall of the station was rebuilt in 1871 and has a grand entrance. Today you will find some interesting art inside, if you know where to look.
Address: Bahnhofplatz 15, CH-8001
Date: April 2025
Website: https://www.dietermeier.com
Zurich Hauptbahnhof is one of the busiest train stations in Europe. The main hall of the station was rebuilt in 1871 and has a grand entrance. Today you will find some interesting art inside, if you know where to look.
If you look up you will be able to spot L‘Ange Protecteur. This giant purple guardian angel hangs from the roof of the main hall. It was painted by Niki de Saint Phalle. Niki painted the bright colours using watercolour so the whole thing needs to be cleaned using compressed air to prevent fading.
If you look down you may see La Boule d'Or Centenaire (The Gold-Plated Centenary Ball). This ball will stay in the floor for 100 years and only be taken out 8 times. This project is presented by the Association Des Maitres De Rien or the Association Of The Masters Of Nothing.
The ball is stored in the floor of the main hall protected behind bulletproof glass. The president of the Association Des Maitres De Rein is Dieter Meier. Dieter is the vocalist in electronic band Yello. Yello is best known for the hit song "Oh Yeah", but as huge fans of the band we enjoy their entire catalogue.
Back in 1977, Dieter had an art studio at Rote Fabrik. This former factory on the west side of Lake Zurich had become a creative hub for many artists. It was here that Boris Blank spent many late nights creating the sounds that would become the music of Yello. The first Yello album, Solid Pleasure, was released in 1980.
Besides working with his partner Boris Blank, Dieter enjoys performance and conceptual art. In 1972 he installed a plaque at a German train station that stated "On 23 March 1994, from 3 to 4 pm, Dieter Meier will stand on this plaque". True to his word he was there for the whole hour. The gold plated ball at Zurich HB also has specific dates where it will be rolled along a wooden gangway and then placed back into its glass case. This is known as the Bois du Voyage d'Or and can be seen in the photo above.
The ball has been rolled three times already along the 12 metre wooden gangway. All of the rolling dates are carved into the ball. The very first was May 9th 2008 and the last will be May 9th 2108. The next time will be August 28th 2033 and Dieter Meier will be 88 years old. What is the point of it all? The point is that there is no point. It is all insignificant nonsense.
The ball is located in the floor of the main hall. In this photo (above) it is located on the far left hand side just visible behind a tent that was set up by Flora plant based butter. We feared that the ball may have been covered by the tent when we arrived.
In a presentation that Dieter might have enjoyed, we were allowed to ride on the back of a cow while holding a cake in order to promote plant based butter. We had to climb a little step ladder to get up onto the cow which was also quite wide and on wheels. Most people took one look and just stood beside the cow.
Speaking of cows, Dieter Meier owns a steakhouse in Zurich called Ojo Du Agua. Dieter owns a ranch in Argentina and also makes his own wine and chocolate. On the roof of Ojo Du Agua was a cow from Zurich's Cow Parade. During the Cow Parade back in 1998, different artists painted cow sculptures and they were placed around the city.
Dieter Meier is involved in many different ventures. Is he truly the master of nothing? Is he the Father of Excess? Take a train into Zurich and decide for yourself. And for me, it's Claro que si.
