A pick of spring cultural highlights No Images? Click here Looking back and looking aheadTwo of Germany’s most renowned theatre festivals – Berliner Theatertreffen and Mühlheimer Theatertage – take a look back on some of the season’s outstanding German-language theatre productions. Prominently represented in both cases are Swiss productions. The World Virtual Reality Forum in Crans Montana in May provides an overview of current developments in the field. It serves as meeting point for specialists and those simply curious about this young and upcoming
interactive medium and art discipline. Impressions of things to come in pop music can be gained at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton, a platform for emerging talents, with its special focus this year on musicians from Switzerland. Pro Helvetia «Three Sisters» by Anton Chekhov (Theater Basel, directed by Simon Stone) is invited to the Berliner Theatertreffen. © Sandra Then Welcome, Philippe Bischof !On our own behalf: Philippe Bischof, a man with 25 years of experience in the world of culture, has been named future Director of Pro Helvetia. He began his career as an assistant stage director at Theater Basel and subsequently worked as director and dramaturgue at various theatre institutions in Switzerland and abroad. In parallel he obtained a Master of Advanced Studies degree in cultural management from the University of Basel. From 2008 to 2011 he built up the cultural centre Südpol in Lucerne. Since 2011 Philippe Bischof has been head of cultural affairs in the canton of Basel-Stadt. He will assume his position as Director of Pro Helvetia on 1 November. We look forward to this and, already at this stage, say: Welcome on board! Philippe Bischof by © Kostas Maros Literature / Theatre
Meet-up in SolothurnThree days of non-stop literature: As every year, the Ascension weekend is when literary practitioners and aficionados from Switzerland and beyond gather for the Solothurner Literaturtage. This year’s 39th edition will again bring together authors from all parts of the country for a literary tour d’horizon. The names of those who will be reading, reciting or performing in the small baroque town of Solothurn this May have now been revealed in the festival programme. Pro Helvetia provides financial backing for the Solothurner Literaturtage via a support agreement. Matto Kämpf at a reading in Solothurn 2016,
Meet-up in TicinoAscension is also the time of the Schweizer Theatertreffen, this year to be held in Ticino. Eight productions from all linguistic regions of Switzerland, selected by a specialist jury, will be staged between 24 and 28 May. As in previous years, the opening night will include the presentation of the Swiss Theatre Awards. Theatre practitioners are invited to participate in the tri-lingual workshop «Das perfekte Gesuch» of 24 May on how best to craft an application for support. Myriam Prongué, Head of Theatre at Pro Helvetia, will be among the instructors. The deadline for registration is 5 May. «Blanche/Katrina», Cie Jours tranquilles, Fabrice Gorgerat, © Philippe Weissbrodt
Visual artsWomen of VeniceThe time has come again. The 57th Art Biennale of Venice starts on 13 May and runs until 26 November. The main exhibition under the heading «Viva Arte Viva» has been curated by Christine Macel, while Philipp Kaiser – nominated by Pro Helvetia – is responsible for the exhibition at the Swiss Pavilion. It shows «Women of Venice», featuring works specially created for the Biennale by Carol Bove and Teresa Hubbard/Alexander Birchler. Carol Bove’s contribution deals with Alberto Giacometti’s glaring absence from the Venice exhibitions. Throughout his life, this major Swiss artist refused to present his work at the Swiss Pavilion. Hubbard/Birchler for their part have created the film installation «Flora», at once reconstructing and imagining the life of Flora Mayo, an unknown American artist and erstwhile lover of Giacometti’s. The exhibition is supplemented by discussions and other events held at the Salon Suisse in Palazzo Trevisan degli Ulivi. Alberto Giacometti and Flora Mayo with a bust she made of him. © Sammlung Fotostiftung Schweiz, Winterthur MusicNiederurnen Sound productionWhat are three fork-lift trucks doing on the cast list of a music world premiere? «Musik im Industrieraum» (music in industrial space), a project conducted by Collegium Novum Zürich with the support of Pro Helvetia, provides the answer. Five works were commissioned for the project, to be composed for performance in industrially used premises. The fourth in the series, «Ausflug ins Gebirge» (outing into the mountains) by Daniel Ott and Manos Tsangaris, is due to be premiered on 27 May in Niederurnen, with the production floor of Eternit AG serving as venue. Brighton Stepping stoneWith Switzerland chosen as partner country for this year’s Great Escape Festival, Swiss musicians – including Sophie Hunger, Odd Beholder and One Sentence. Supervisor – will, from 18 to 20 May, be calling the tune in Brighton. The festival is one of Europe’s most important platforms for the independent music scene and has over the years served numerous artists as a stepping stone to international stages. The Swiss musicians’ presence is organised by Swiss Music Export and supported by Pro Helvetia and SUISA. Interactive mediaVirtual reality liveVirtual reality opens the door to new dimensions, with spectators becoming actors as they move around unimpeded in virtual worlds. Art and technology merge to create an immediate overall experience that constantly produces new narratives. Encompassing a conference , a festival and a market place in four intensive days from 11 to 14 May, the second World VR Forum in Crans-Montana offers professionals and other interested parties an overview of the latest developments and trends in the field. Pro Helvetia is a sponsor of the Swiss Pavilion, in which young Swiss talents and startups are given a platform for their projects. © World VR Forum Moscow, Paris
Design of the signThe international festival «Typomania» in Moscow from 27 May to 4 June is all about the design of the written word – how content can be brought to the fore by means of typography, calligraphy, and various fonts. Billboard designer and photographer Melchior Ineichen and representatives of Studio Feixen in Lucerne have been invited from Switzerland to present their work and conduct workshops. © Typomania
Bächli & HattanSilvia Bächli sometimes compares her drawings to a compilation of words and music notes that together form the «musical sentences» she puts on display. Eric Hattan collects objects from the street and uses them as components for installations and sculptures. On occasion, the two artists collaborate. The Centre culturel suisse (CCS) in Paris is now dedicating an exhibition to both of them, scheduled to start on 3 June. It includes a piece of art created specifically for the CCS by two pairs of hands. Eric Hattan, Now way, concrete, shoes (detail), 2015
Literature & SocietyFantastic journeys The documentation prepared by author and cultural theorist Claude Reichler together with a team from the University of Lausanne presents an alluring mix of science, mythology and fantasy. The website and app «WonderAlp» contains reports about the Swiss alps by travellers of the late 17th century. Their accounts not only describe botanical and geological findings, but also tell of dragons and similar creatures. Pro Helvetia has enabled the translation of «WonderAlp» from French into German and English. © Viatimages TheatreBerlin Focus on staging...Ten theatre productions have been chosen for the Berliner Theatertreffen, three of which from Switzerland. The latter are Anton Chekhov’s «Three Sisters» (Theater Basel, directed by Simon Stone), «Die Vernichtung» (annihilation; Konzert Theater Bern, directed by Ersan Mondtag) and «Five Easy Pieces» (IIPM/Milo Rau and Campo Gent). Pro Helvetia provides support for these productions as well as for the festival’s International Forum, whose participants are selected young theatre practitioners from 22 countries. Mülheim ... and on playwritingThe Mühlheimer Theatertage festival («Stücke») in Germany is unique insofar as it places the emphasis more on the texts than the staging of contemporary theatre productions. This year’s edition is on from 13 May to 3 June. Here, too, Swiss pieces are prominently represented, comprising «Die Vernichtung» (annihilation; Konzert Theater Bern), «Der thermale Widerstand» (thermal resistance; Schauspielhaus Zürich), «Empire» (Theaterspektakel Zürich et al.) and «Dickhäuter» (pachyderms/ thick-skinned creatures; Theater Fallalpha), a play for children. |