Punk and New Wave in Bern – A Photographic Tribute
Fifty years after punk shook up mainstream society, a new photobook looks back. What began in 1976 in the U.S. and the U.K. quickly reached Swiss youth as well. The rejection of established norms, a distinct vocabulary of music, fashion, appearance, and attitude—as radical as it was provocative—became a movement that significantly shaped art, culture, and society.

Zurich’s punk and new wave scene is well documented. Less well known is that the Swiss capitol Bern also developed its own zeitgeist—a bit more playful and colorful than elsewhere. Right in the thick of it: photographer Jürg Hafen (1951–1998), who captured the vibrant scene around the Olmo boutique, the Spex Club, the Quick Bar, and the AK Gallery with his camera.

His work reveals a world brimming with local energy—featuring bands like Grauzone and Starter, as well as the young Stephan Eicher, who wrote the foreword for the photo book. IS THIS LOVE OR JUST A FEELING? brings together a 200-page photographic tribute to the wild years in Bern.