The Rhyl Poster
They’d ‘met’, then, in Switzerland: in the Italian part, Ticino, beside Lake Maggiore. To be precise: above it, on a mountain.
The story begins at a three-day academic conference organized by the International Association for Emergent Legal Theory (IAELT) in Ticino, Switzerland, near Lake Maggiore. The event was held at a Bauhaus-style hotel, characterized by its bold, white, geometric architecture. The hotel featured modernist meeting rooms, terraces, tennis courts, and gardens, blending into a historic site called Monte Verità (Mountain of Truth). This location has a century-long history as a gathering place for reformers, artists, and thinkers, including social reformers, vegans, nudists, anarchists, and legal theorists. The conference mixed structured academic discussions with social events like cocktail hours, wine tastings, and late-night DJ sets, creating an atmosphere that blurred professional and personal boundaries. The article introduces two key figures: Pirotti, a mysterious attendee with unclear affiliations, and Stanton, a conference participant who becomes the focus of the narrative.
Pirotti is a central but ambiguous figure at the conference. He does not give a talk or hold an official role but is closely connected to the event's organizers. His presence is marked by subtle influence: he occupies reserved seats, laughs before jokes are fully understood, and appears unexpectedly in various settings, such as bars, gardens, or boat trips. Stanton later discovers that Pirotti is associated with the Centre for Juridical Collaboration (CJC), an NGO registered with the Council of Europe. However, the CJC lacks a physical headquarters or clear structure, operating instead through collaborations across institutions and contexts. Pirotti’s behavior suggests he is a skilled networker, possibly gathering information or forming connections with attendees like Stanton. His role remains undefined but impactful, hinting at a deeper agenda.
Stanton, a conference participant, presents a paper distinguishing between lex lata (the law as it currently stands) and lex ferenda (the law as it should or will be in the future). His argument elevates the concept of de lege ferenda (law to come) into a model for understanding legal temporality, suggesting that legal consciousness operates in a future anterior tense—a not-yet-arrived but anticipated state. Stanton’s insight stems from his work on a Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) case related to criminal law. Pirotti later praises Stanton’s presentation for its clarity and counterintuitive direction, asking for a copy of his notes. This interaction marks the beginning of a developing relationship between the two men, with Pirotti showing an unusual interest in Stanton’s work and personal background.
After Stanton’s presentation, Pirotti approaches him and returns a coat he had lent earlier, mentioning the cold mountain air. During their conversation, Stanton reveals a scar on his shin, which Pirotti seems to already know about. Stanton explains the scar resulted from Operation TELIC, a reference to the UK’s military involvement in Iraq (2003), specifically linked to the controversial search for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). Pirotti responds with a knowing smile and offers Stanton two tablets from a canister labeled petit bleu. Stanton takes the tablets, which he later identifies as a strong opiate-based painkiller, not codeine or MDMA. The encounter leaves Stanton feeling disoriented but intrigued, as Pirotti’s knowledge of his past and health seems almost prescient.
The next day, Stanton attends a field trip to a valley where an avant-garde musician performs a live composition using kites flown by student assistants. The kites relay sounds from the environment—wind, birdsong, distant vehicles—into headphones worn by the audience. Stanton initially assumes the music originates from the kites, but later realizes they act as microphones, capturing ambient noises and transforming them into a symphonic experience. During the performance, Stanton hears a low, rhythmic chopchopchop sound that grows louder, eventually identifying its source as a helicopter flying in the distance. This triggers a memory of kite use in Iraq, possibly for signaling or surveillance. The opiate-based petit bleu tablets enhance Stanton’s sensory experience, making him feel connected to the landscape and, briefly, to a boy’s face he imagines looking down at him.
After the kite performance, Pirotti asks Stanton for the notes he made while drafting his CJEU opinion. Stanton later sends these notes to Pirotti, despite initial hesitation. Pirotti frames his request as a casual favor and later offers Stanton a canister of petit bleu tablets, explaining they are a prototype painkiller from a small pharmaceutical start-up. The tablets are described as having a legitimate status, with trials underway on volunteers. Pirotti suggests the medication would be beneficial for Stanton’s circumstances, particularly avoiding a medical record. He mentions Stanton’s past involvement in Operation TELIC as a reason the tablets would be useful. The offer is framed as optional, with no immediate pressure, but Stanton senses an underlying expectation or arrangement forming.
Stanton reflects on Switzerland’s reputation for neutrality and how *Monte Verità* embodies this idea—a place suspended outside of time, where rules and prohibitions seem temporarily lifted. The CJC’s name, *Centre for Juridical Collaboration*, takes on a new meaning for Stanton after the conference, suggesting collaboration in a second sense: working with or for others, possibly in a way that aligns with Pirotti’s interests. The article hints at a shift in Stanton’s perspective, as he begins to question his own role and the implications of accepting Pirotti’s offer. The train ride back to Milan, from where Stanton flies to Luxembourg, becomes a moment of introspection, with the landscape outside the window—snow-capped peaks, industrial installations—serving as a backdrop for his thoughts on the conference’s lasting impact.
