Stapferhaus exhibition invites visitors to test their appetite for risk

A new interactive exhibition at the Stapferhaus museum in Lenzburg explores how people balance safety and risk, SRF reports. Visitors can test their own sense of security and willingness to take risks at stations including a “leap into the unknown,” a safety laboratory, a casino game and a Situation Room.

The exhibition encourages visitors to explore personal limits and discuss wider questions, such as how much risk society should accept, how much security people need and how their sense of safety changes.

Sociologist and criminologist Dirk Baier says a person’s sense of security is shaped by several factors. People generally feel safer in familiar situations, he says, while darkness, disorder and a lack of visibility can make them feel less secure.

Security studies conducted by ETH Zurich since the early 1990s indicate that the share of people in Switzerland who describe themselves as unsafe fell from about 30% in the 1990s to between 5% and 10% in the most recent studies. But Baier says feelings of insecurity have risen again in recent years.

There is no single scientific explanation for the increase, Baier says. One possible factor is the prominence of crises in the media. He says good lighting in public spaces can help people feel safer and recommends maintaining a balanced relationship with the news.

The exhibition presents safety and risk as connected concepts, with no simple answer to how much of either is right. It invites visitors to reconsider their own comfort zones and perspectives.