Blum is an audio drama in the form of an investigative podcast – similar to popular fiction podcasts such as Limetown, Video Palace and The Black Tapes – that takes the listener on a captivating journey through nine Swiss cities, the country’s art museums, mysterious antique stores, dazzling train rides, and escapes through the freshly fallen snow. 

By using this format and setting the story in a real historical, social, and geographical context, Blum creates a sense of uncertainty for the listener, leaving them wondering where the fiction ends and reality begins, encouraging them to conduct their own research after listening. The story also places a strong emphasis on music and art, and seeks to bring recognition to the value of women in these fields, a detail that has been denied for centuries. 

The English adaptation follows a multi-award-winning Spanish version that reached the number one spot on Apple podcasts in Spain and was also a hit among Spanish language podcasts in Latin America, after its launch in June 2022.

Telling the story of a journalist uncovering a mysterious double investigation, Blum begins when Emma Clark discovers a suitcase in the house she shares with her boyfriend, David. Inside, she finds a collection of objects belonging to Clara, an art history student who lived with David before he and Emma met. 

Clara disappeared while conducting research for her thesis in Switzerland, and David kept everything she left behind in the house, mainly books and notes from her thesis, in that suitcase. Intrigued by Clara's disappearance and her obsession with Swiss artist Ursula Blum, the subject of her thesis, Emma delves deeper into the mystery. 

After reviewing the documents left behind, Emma decides to retrace Clara’s steps and document her investigation in a podcast. She travels to Lucerne, where her friend Amanda lives, and uses her house as a base of operations to explore Switzerland while investigating the life of Ursula. Episodes play out within the environs of the Swiss art scene with intrigue, trauma and mystery concerning the lives of both the artist and Emma. 

As Emma continues her investigation, she begins to feel as if she's being watched, suspecting that someone is trying to impede her research. Could it be the same person who has kept Ursula's story from being revealed? Could this person also have something to do with Clara's disappearance?

Blum was produced by El Extraordinario in Madrid and written by Carmen Pacheco and Manuel Bartual for Switzerland Tourism. 

Listen to the Blum podcast from 28 June here or on your favourite podcast platform.

Spanish speakers, find more information on blum.myswitzerland.com

Wallpaper*: How did El Extraordinaro get involved with Switzerland Tourism? 

Marcus Hurst: We’ve been working with Switzerland for many years on different types of campaigns, mainly helping the tourist board promote Swiss cities. Most people who travel to Switzerland, go to the mountains, the Alps – they land at the airport and then bypass cities. Which is a shame because these cities actually have a lot going, including excellent museums and galleries and amazing art collections. I love that a city like Basel might have a smaller population than, say, Islington in London, but it has two absolutely top-notch art museums. So, we thought, why don’t we create a fictional story, set in these cities, that reveals itself in the galleries, in amongst the people and culture of the Swiss art world.  

W*: How are the cities and galleries integrated in the podcast’s narrative?  

MH: It was really crucial for us that the art museums played a big part –  but how could we weave eight cities and eight or nine art galleries together to make something interesting and intriguing? Simply taking nice pictures and writing words that told people that Switzerland had really great buildings is a tried and tested concept but we wanted to do something different. We thought, why don’t we create a murder mystery narrative, a story that would grip and engage the listener and immerse them into the Swiss art world in a new way? We approached Manuel Bartual and Carmen Pacheco, an acclaimed Spanish scriptwriting duo, who came up with a story that was unusual and immersive, definitely not mainstream, but made a connection with people.   

W*: The art world and the gallery environment has long been a favourite setting for fiction, film and drama – everything from Donna Tartt’s novel The Goldfinch, to Ruben Östlund’s movie The Square and the recent Netflix drama Velvet Buzzsaw. What is it about the environment that makes it so attractive to story tellers and directors? 

MH: Across centuries, artists have always had interesting storylines. Paintings tell different stories because they’re open to interpretation. Conversations about art are not scientific but are open to ideas and analysis which also makes things interesting. Then there are the galleries themselves, huge spaces which have a special, magical atmosphere of both community and hushed reverence. 

W*: Sound design plays an important role in the Blum episodes. 

MH: What is nice about audio is that you’re imagining things and sort of seeing them through dialogue and sound design. We were particularly pleased with a scene in the fifth episode where there’s a chase through a snowy cemetery. We took a great deal of time to get the atmosphere just right, making a very conscientious effort to make everything sound as natural as possible. We insisted on recording in some of the galleries also because those places have such a particular sonic quality – a lack of sound, really – that cannot be easily replicated in the studio.