Who has the privilege of time ?

The film Las Herederas by Marcelo Martinessi examines social class in 1980s Paraguay through the story of Chela, a 65-year-old woman living in a decaying mansion in Asunción. Her social decline accelerates when her partner is imprisoned for fraud, forcing Chela to sell family heirlooms and take a job as a driver for wealthy neighbors. She spends hours waiting in her car or her clients’ homes, mirroring the exploitation in her own household, where her maid, Pati, is at her service day and night. This master-servant dynamic highlights the rigid class structures and the binary of care-giving and care-receiving.

In Zurich’s Kreis 5 district, gig workers like Chela and Pati are everywhere, serving in restaurants, delivering food, cleaning offices, or providing domestic care. Gig work traps them in precarious conditions, constantly on-call but with no guaranteed hours, and often without benefits like sick pay. Zero-hour contracts exploit their availability, while those at the top benefit financially. Gig workers are left isolated, with their “workspace” limited to the street or their mode of transport, further exacerbating their invisibility.

In a society fixated on productivity, both elderly queer individuals and gig workers remain marginalized. Many queer elderly lack the familial support that their peers might have, making them more reliant on gig workers for care. As aging queer individuals and gig workers intersect, both groups face vulnerability and social isolation. This project seeks to dismantle the binary between care-giving and care-receiving, challenging the class divide and reimagining care outside traditional family structures.

At Parkhaus Pfingstweid, gig workers and the elderly queer community converge. Gig workers provide essential services, while communal spaces allow them to rest and socialize. Ramps and connected spaces foster interaction between both groups, breaking down the care-giving and care-receiving divide, and creating a shared, supportive community.

Master Thesis Spring 2024

Project by: Naomi Schanne

Teaching team: Anna Puigjaner, Dafni Retzepi, Pol Esteve Castelló, He Shen