THE
UNOFFICIAL HIKING SOCIETY AG
WELCOMES YOU

About

The Unofficial Hiking Society

Aktionsgesellschaft (AG)​

The Unofficial Hiking Society AG is an organic art collective based in Basel, Switzerland. The Society AG relies on hikes as a physical and digital engagement as a means of exploration and knowledge building. We organize unofficial guided tours (in person and digitally) providing critical information and counter-narratives on issues such as capitalism, neoliberalism, and feminism. In this context, the "unofficial" stands for a resistance to adhere to economic norms, according to conformity, over-organization and for simply appropriating the spaces that surround us by offering our tours without registration to authorities. With changing members and themes, the collective aims to explore and reflect on public space and its inherent exclusionary structures towards certain groups and communities. The focus is on spaces that are often considered semi-public, such as company buildings, private corporate organizations, or government sectors. We are thinking not only of physical spaces, but also concepts such as the military, lobbying and access to information that is accessible but closed off due to the sheer volume, time and energy it would take to engage with it. As a platform for research and reflection on the public sphere, the project creates opportunities to critically engage with such half-hidden-half-public worlds.