Stronghold of Love

The Army of Love is a movement, started by Ingo Niermann, intending to bring and share love all over the world, especially with those who need it the most. The project provides a space for expressions of love for all bodies, beyond ableism and heteronormative boundaries. Everyone deserves love.

To meet the basic human need for love and its expression, the project proposes a space in Zürich accessible 24/7 365 days a year. Atop of the Hotel Spirgarten, situated in Lindenplatz, Altstetten, the stronghold of love is visible from all directions. Its strategic location near the district office ensures public presence and a strong sense of safety.

Adapting the existing hotel infrastructure, the staircases and elevators are extended through the existing roof to give access to the space, creating a symbiotic relationship with the hotel. The possibility of staying overnight enables visitors, even from distant places, to partake in the experience of love. A main entrance faces Lindenplatz, welcoming passersby to enter the space.

Inside, they will find a large introductory space giving access to an ensemble of smaller curved rooms, accessed through different openings. In the peripheral small rooms, you can get to know other people using specific senses and you may start exchanging sensual love. Progressing to a middle room, the exchange of love combines, and uses, all the senses. The space is devised from the premises and experiences of The Army of Love, putting consent at the centre and experimenting with non-sexual bodily exchanges.