Freiestrasse Road Signs Become Art; Bayeler Exhibition Reunites the Blue Rider; Bank Report Touts Basel Over Zurich for Business; EasyJet Marketing Stunt Gives Away Free Travel

News For 13 September, 2016

Walking down Freiestrasse in the middle of Basel's shopping district, you may have noticed recently that some of the road-signs have been whimsically transformed.  Behind the changes is French street artist Clet Abraham.  Mr. Abraham uses stickers to turn ordinary traffic signs into humorous, sometimes non-sensical art pieces featuring silhouetted stick figures interacting with the features of the street sign.  Mr. Abraham is no ordinary graffiti artist, having had his work exhibited recently in nearby Mulhouse, France.  Those that find this "art" unappealing will be reassured that Basel Construction and Transportation Department Public Relations Officer Daniel Hofer indicated that the signs will be restored to their original state at the earliest opportunity by passing sanitation department crews.

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The expressionist art movement known as Der Blaue Reiter or, The Blue Rider, was founded in 1911 by Russian Emigrées and Native German artists in Munich, Germany.  Among its most famous founders and participants were Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee.  Their combined work, regarded as essential to the development of contemporary art often features themes of horses, and the color blue, favorites of the artists involved.  The outbreak of World War I significantly curtailed the activities of the artists and their group, and found their work scattered throughout the world for safekeeping from the events in Europe.  The Bayeler Foundation has now assembled a significant portion of their artworks and put them on exhibition as of last weekend.  The collection will be on display until January.

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In a study published last Thursday, Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse, claims that by 2020 Basel Stadt will outpace Zurich for its attractiveness as a business locale.  Driving the changes in rankings will be the reduction in corporate tax rates that Cantons are planning in anticipation of rules meant to phase out preferential tax rates for foreign companies.  The new rules are a result of pressure to further harmonize tax regimes led by the European Union. Over the next four years, Basel intends to reduce its corporate profit tax rate to 13 percent from 22.18 percent. Combined with the tax rates are other attractive factors that will improve Basel's standing, including access to large pools of highly qualified labor and easy access to international modes of travel.

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Perhaps your travel plans last Friday included a passage through Basel's SBB Railway station.  If so, you'd have seen a massive queue of people hoping for a chance at free travel on EasyJet, the airline that counts Basel Mulhouse Euroairport among its many hubs.  The marketing scheme dreamed up by the airline, had people come to their booth at the SBB and submit an entry into a raffle.  Starting at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the airline's representative drew a pair of names from the lottery every ten minutes and whisked the winners off to the airport with their final destination being either Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Nice or Barcelona.  Five lucky couples were sent on their way.  Marketing Manager for EasyJet, Elba Ferreiro reassured participants that didn't win, and those that are interested in participating next time, that the promotion will be held once again on September 30