Guest speakers 2023
Zurich Taipei Orchid Island (Field Trip)
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People 2023
PARTICIPANTS We are happy to present you the Transcultural Collaboration participants of 2023, connecting students from eight countries and several different Art Schools. To give you a chance to get to know the participants better, we asked them to talk to us about their motivations, their passion for collaboration, their concerns regarding their artistic practice and about what makes them feel safe. When do you feel safe to create?HO Tsz Long Lucy: My work aesthetic is based on doing something meaningless in response to the Nobodies in society. Nobody who is always being ignored by society. At the same time those Nobodies make up a crucial part of society, they contribute the most but stay invisible, without their contributions being properly acknowledged and valued. Through my meaningless actions I try to raise awareness for Nobody, communicating that their effort is important and valuable to me. Trying to make them feel loved. What motivates you for your work?SAHA Aparupa: What motivates me to work is to find a space for myself in which I can connect …
Living traces
Which traces are yours? Which are mine? Where do they connect? Whether their origins are internal or external, all traces are deeply tied to the traces of others, forming a collective system of memory, which exerts influence on groups and individuals, often in unforeseen ways. The installation “living traces” invited visitors to introspect, connect and leave traces, to engage as much as they would like and explore the interconnectedness of remembering bodies.
What’s in my Name?
An Orchid is not just a flower but an accumulation of layers of claims, projections and violence within and through time. Defined by a name, categorization, and stories about heroes and hunters it becomes a symbol for things it has not given its consent to.
大木一人，木棚三友
A piece of driftwood is perhaps too big for one. It is shared amongst three friends, who build everything they could out of it. Lots of items, stories, memories and time – contained in a shed. A piece of driftwood that was once borrowed. It has provided and it has given. And now, it has been returned.
Home of the Scattered
The multi-speaker sound installation conceived by Xu Chia-Chun, Jamira Estrada and Piero Scherer explored the interplay between shelter and isolation, protection and constraint. It invited the visitors to navigate a space where the boundaries of inside and outside, protection and limitation blur into an evocative soundscape.
Anthropocene
Drawing on many influences, from displacement systems to futuristic utopian scenarios and habitual reflection, “Anthropocene” explores power structures in the context of sacrifice zones, dwelling upon the fragile equilibrium of protecting and using land and the unequal consequences that the waste of resources produce.
Polypulse
„Polypulse“ deals with the topic of protection through creating a vulnerable and intimate experience between strangers in a city environment. The audience is invited to come close, feel their heartbeat in the backdrop of the city noise and negotiate what it means to be part of a vibrating moment of shared experience.
~欢迎觀臨~ ~༄໋࣭࣭~
The inside of the protecting greenhouse is warm, welcoming, a necessary condition for some of its living beings. However, the creatures living under its shelter may unknowingly start to deform. Protection turns into corrosion. They go from resisting to losing their self-care ability, eventually leading to a sense of hopelessness. This decaying metamorphosis could be considered a conspiracy theory. But how would we be able to truly know?
Phase 1: Websy (2023) – Zurich
A performative sonic and visual landscape Ray FREY, Ai De YANG, Julia SHU and Piero SCHERER collaboratively created a sonic and visual landscape “Websy”, where everything was connected to something, but nothing was connected to everything. A space where tools, artifacts and rare finds got entangled through an intertwined web of cables, film stripes and strings. A space where performers and visitors, sound and objects, came together to craft their own ecosystem. A system in which one must learn to give space and listen to each other to build new connections and combinations that preserve the system. Over the span of a week the group set up their base in one of the rooms of the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). With each day and each new find their engaging landscape grew. Visitors then were invited to a performance to see and hear this somehow chaotic, somehow organized, somehow intuitive, somehow encrypted structure while the performers improvised their way through the landscape. It was not possible to understand everything at once, to decipher, cable by …
Phase 1: Sleeping Peels (2023) – Zurich
Interactive Installation Conceived by Leonie DITTLI, Esme Chuyi WANG, Xi Jie WANG, Lucia Salomé GRÄNICHER “Sleeping peels” invites the visitors to reflect their bodily experiences in a vulnerable state of rest centered around sleeping appliances such as medication and the mattress. The latter is a witness to all the bodies that have lied on it. It is the sight of dreams, emotions, and sweat. While sleeping you unburden your thoughts, anxieties and everything that is not seen under your daily shield of protection. Leaving you in a state of vulnerability that is rare but can also be taken advantage of. Right there the market steps in and promises you goods and methods to improve your sleep. Via monitoring and collecting data on your sleep cycle, via offering you the pharmaceutical tools to better protect your sleep? “Sleeping peels” invited to lay, to trace, to smell. In front of a staged mattress one could find a pile of sleeping pills made out of chalk. The label of the mattress provided the visitors with instructions. It read: Take …
Phase 1: Approaching Tower (2023) – Zurich
Multimedia digital and site-specific installation Originating from many influences from Rapunzel to Zurich’s churches to the Panopticon, “Approaching Tower” explores the complex social power structures that are embedded in the architecture and the symbolism of towers. As a diptych of physical scenography and virtual reality created by Leo BARTON, Ho Man HO, Tak Tsung NG and Martha OELSCHLÄGER, the work presents multiple modes of dissecting the image of a tower and its many manifestations. Physically, visitors could ascend and descend the site-specific stairwell dressed with protective chains, referring to the suicide protection net found on Blauer Turm. With the help of VR-glasses the visitors were virtually able to emerge themselves to the foot of a composite church and communications tower listening to a reactive soundscape. Interrogating the multifaceted and contradictory symbol of the tower, this piece began with the question “when does protection become threatening itself?”. A question which heavily depends on perspective and alignment, negotiating the thresholds between preservation and over-protection, ideology and social control. This cross-disciplinary project brought together the participants expertise in …
Phase 1: Wabisabi (2023) – Zurich
Performance, 20 min. 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 protection 𝘵𝘰 connection 𝘵𝘰 communication, 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘛𝘩e 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 Wabisabi, conceived and performed by Christian Del CONTE, Senri SUZUI, Raymond FREY and Guan-Ying HU, 𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 being exposed to the uncanniness 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. Based on the 𝘉𝘈𝘉𝘌𝘓 𝘛𝘖𝘞𝘌𝘙 𝘚𝘛𝘖𝘙𝘠 the group reflected on different modes and 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘴 protection brings about. The performance was set in a installation made out of 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴, associated with “𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦” 𝘢𝘯𝘥 “𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯”, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺. The accompanying musical 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦-𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘮 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱t 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 during the performance and worked like an intensifier while the performers slowly started to cut down the installation in a ritual act. R𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 humanity nowadays the performance posed the question: What i𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦…. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 creative 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 involved c𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. The final presentation was the first and only full performance, therefore the group …
Polychronic Traces
An exploration of the perception of time through capturing moments instead of time. The experience of a slower pace and the unpredictable natural conditions raise questions about the meaning of time. Perceptions of time vary and are linked to different values. Caught in the construct of time, we sometimes get lost in thoughts about the future and miss the moment. But where are the boundaries of the present in the flow of time?
Sisilah — white tiger
The work explored the myth of Siluman (shape-shifter) originating from close surroundings of the volcano in Indonisia – Mount Merapi. White Tiger of Mount Merapi is believed to be a mythical being-an apparition of the protecting ancestor of the villagers beneath Merapi.
When things don’t come together
The durational performance “When things don’t come together” explores the meaning of collaboration when the team falls apart, somebody is missing, the plans that were made seem impossible and the only things that remain are fragments of work that do not want to fit together: A research, different materials, images, a figure with a language of movements.
One encounter, one chance
Our performance was based highly on trust and understanding, and we decided to take some risks. Our references were mostly performance artists such as Anne Imhof, Bill Viola, Guoqiang Tsai, Marina Abramović, and Tehching Hsieh. We agreed that the piece should include a certain extent of interaction with the audience and be presented in a fine art context. Without a plot, there would certainly be some surprises, and the right attitude to face them was to improvise within our roles. With rigorous concentration, exhaustion of the physical body, and deprivation of verbal communication, we tried out different things within three hours.
Occasionally Static Flow
We meet many strangers in our daily life. Everyone has their own life path . I imagine the possibility of dialogue in these daily encounters. I found that by listening to different people’s stories, I could make a vivid connection to the city. The first person in Yogya to tell me his story was Seyang, a bentor driver. Through his personal story, I felt the lifeline of the city from his personal story with its individual history.
Mum said “Never talk to strangers”
“I nearly forgot what mum said to me.”“Most of the time I don’t follow what she said.” “Maybe she’s right, but I have to make my own mistakes.” Every time you recall a memory, it gets further from the truth: mistrust and self- doubt distort the traces that are left from every past encounter, coloring your approach to every new person you meet.
Straight Gay
Puppets don’t have life. But they tell stories. Well…we tell stories. This story is about a boy who got his adventure in a totally different world. If it sounds familiar to you, we assure you there will be something new. Like the boy can be you and me, and this strange fantasy world is actually not very far from us.
Interview with Brigitta Isabella
Brigitta is a member of the art collective and study forum named KUNCI. It experiments with methods in producing and sharing knowledge through the acts of studying together at the intersections between affective, manual and intellectual labor. Since its founding in 1999 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, KUNCI has been continuously transforming its structure, ways and medium of working.
Inputs & Workshops Singapore
Darren Moore, born in Scotland, raised in Australia and based in Singapore, is a drummer and electronic musician who works in jazz, experimental music and multimedia throughout South East Asia, Australia, Japan and Europe. In 2006 he moved to Singapore to become a Lecture in Music at Lasalle, where he taught popular music studies, drum set and creative improvisation. In 2015 he moved to Tokyo, where he worked freelance as a musician and taught a music appreciation course at Hosei University. In 2018, he returned to Lasalle to continue working as a Lecturer in Music. Darren was an undergraduate student at the Western Australian Conservatorium, where he completed a Certificate in Classical Percussion in 1993 and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Drumming in 1997. His commitment to education and research saw Darren complete a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the Queensland Conservatorium in 2013, which looked at adapting Carnatic Indian rhythms to the drum set. Introduction to Singapore’s History and its Policy of “Multiracialism” | by Audrey WONGAny visitor to Singapore would be struck …
Guest speakers 22
ZurichDaniel Späti, Head of Transcultural CollaborationProf. Dr. Sophia Prinz, Professor of Design Theory and History, ZHdKMonique Ligtenberg, Research Assistant, Institute of History, ETH ZurichDaniel Ryser, Journalist, RepublikKatharina Morawek, Institut Neue SchweizYuvikki Dioh, Diversity Agent, Schauspielhaus ZurichProf. Dr. Jörg Scheller, ZHdKMonique Ligtenberg, Research Assistant, Institute of History, ETH ZurichMarc Dussellier, Artist/ActivistTakuro Mizuta, DJ sniffMihaela Drăgan, Actor, Roma Activist SingaporeDarren Moore, drummer and electronic musicianAudrey Wong, arts educator, manager and researcherRobert Liew, artistic directorJeffrey Say, art historianAndy Chia, an Artistic Director, Artist/Musician, Producer, and ComposerWANG Chi-Sui, associate professor in Animation Department, Taipei National University of the ArtsDr. S. Chandrasekan, accomplished artistUrich Lau Wai-Yuen, video art, photography, and printmakingJennifer Teo, cultural worker, artist and curatorDayal Gian Singh, producer, actor, singer, writer, filmmaker and corporate trainerVenkaPurushothaman, art writer and arts & cultural leader YogyakartaProfessor St. Sunardi, Universitas Sanata DharmaRangga Purbaya, Visual artistMella Jaarsma, Dutch artistBayu Widodo, Visual artist and activistSigit Pius, Artist and curatorTeater Garasi, Theatre collectiveSURVIVE! Garage, Community alternative space and artIVAA, Indonesian Visual Arts ArchiveLifepatch, Art collectiveKUNCI, Study Forum & CollectiveAce House Collective, Art CollectiveRuang Mes 56, …
Inputs & Workshops Yogyakarta
In Indonesia, the year 1965 stands for political unrest and mass killings. Processing the events collectively and publicly has been challenging until today. With Professor St. Sunardi (Universitas Sanata Dharma) and visual artist Rangga Purbaya (Ruang Mes 56) we learned about the sociopolitically pressing issue of 1965 and how the aftermath of the events and anti-communist phobia is shaping the country’s present. How to artistically deal with suppressed information, incomplete stories, lost voices? How could a public participation in collecting memories and counter-narratives take shape? And did the collective experience of loss foster an aesthetics of melancholia? With artists Mella Jaarsma, Bayu Widodo and Sigit Pius we discussed the complex cultural landscape of Yogyakarta, local myths and the challenges of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society: Dutch artist Mella Jaarsma has lived in Indonesia for the past 40 years. She utilizes her work in order to reflect and comment on socio-political issues. She presented a selection of works connected to questions of religion and cultural diversity. For Binds & Blinds (2017) for example, she made an open …
Inputs & Workshops Zurich
Phase 1: Exploration and Experimentation, Zurich, 23 August – 16 September Lecture: On Transcultural CollaborationDaniel Späti, Head of Transcultural CollaborationGeneral introduction to the programme, its basic motivation and development, its structure and learning goals. Differentiation of terms cross-/inter-/transcultural. Lecture: Introduction Transculturality & Postcolonial TheoryProf. Dr. Sophia Prinz, Professor of Design Theory and History, ZHdKBasic terminologies (culture) and practical examples of “things inbetween” (exemplary on examples of ceramics). Theoretical background of postcolonial theory and decolonization. Walk: Colonial ZurichMonique Ligtenberg, Research Assistant, Institute of History, ETH ZurichGuided tour in Zurich to different locations, where traces of colonialism can be found to understand Switzerland’s colonial ties. Lecture: Information WarDaniel Ryser, Journalist, RepublikIn recent years, scientific knowledge and information in mass media is questioned by specific groups to manipulate public opinion and gain power (fake news, media manipulation, propaganda). Daniel Ryser exemplifies this development based on the Swiss media landscape and the influence of a highly influential right wing network. Lecture: Memory Culture and Post-Migratory Transformation in SwitzerlandKatharina Morawek, Institut Neue Schweiz, BaselDiscussions around diversity and memory culture are …
Monique Ligtenberg: “In the logic of the Cold War, the US and other Western countries were very eager, in the sense of the so-called domino theory, to constrain the influence of communism globally.”
We spoke with historian Monique Ligtenberg about how Switzerland was involved in the colonial period in Indonesia, what the repercussions are to this day, and what it all has to do with the documenta scandal.
What is your most intense memory of TC?
Sticky Intervention
Our artistic explorations touch into the bodily action of chewing gum, delimiting spaces and the space between the private and the public.
Friction | Stumbling | Falling
Identity crisis exists in every subtle moment in our lives, and we want to express these by revealing our uncertainty, struggles, reflections of other people regarding our identity, as well as historical events in the past.
Pain & Pleasure
With the switch of power, will the meaning of “pain” and “pleasure” we are so used to, take on different meanings, or be juxtaposed and create new discoveries for us?