Die Sammlung ist das Herzstück vieler Kunstmuseen. Seit einigen Jahren wird diese immer öfter aufgrund ihrer Ausrichtung und Entstehungsgeschichte hinterfragt. Die Kritik: Sie sind zu männlich, zu weiss und oftmals von kolonialen Unrechtsverhältnissen geprägt. Wie gehen Kunstmuseen, als öffentliche Institutionen im Auftrag der Gesellschaft, damit um? In der Thesis werden zwei aktuelle Ausstellungen von Museen untersucht, welche ihre Sammlungen und die damit verbundenen, historisch gewachsenen, kolonialen Zustände sowie deren Kontinuitäten in der Gegenwart kritisch befragten. Die zentrale Fragestellung der Thesis ist, ob die westliche Praxis des Ausstellens und Präsentierens durch einen offenen, dekolonialen Zugang neue Formen des Zeigens und damit auch andere Zugänge schaffen kann.
Die Masterthesis behandelt den Ursprung der Frauenbewegung und der Queer Theory sowie die Kunst- und Ausstellungsgeschichte rund um das Thema Queerfeminismus in der kuratorischen Praxis. Die Untersuchung bildet die Basis für die Ausstellung «Resist, Support, Inspire»
in der Roten Fabrik in Zürich. Dabei werden aktivistische kuratorische
Methoden erläutert und die kuratorische Verantwortung, marginalisierte
Kunstschaffende in einem patriarchalen und weiss-privilegierten System
sichtbarer zu machen, thematisiert. Darauf basierend, reagiert das Ausstellungskonzept «Resist, Support, Inspire» mit einer kuratorischen Intervention auf jüngste rechtsradikale Störaktionen auf die queerfeministische Kunst- und Kulturgesellschaft in Zürich, indem es die künstlerischen Positionen von Gilles Smrkovsky, Ianic Cortes
Santos, Wassili Widmer, Ivy Monteiro, Dario Callerame, Talaya Schmid,
Robin Lütolf und Joëlle Bischof, Jeanne Jacob, Melody Chua und Latefa
Wiersch versammelt.
The thesis mainly focuses on the expression of ancient Mesopotamian mythology and traditions in contemporary art with the subject of «collective memory». The thesis attributes importance to oral history by the Mesopotamian origin stateless nations, whose written sources and cultural assets have been threatened by hegemonic states throughout history. While emphasizing the importance of collective memory in its social development and investigating the place of mythology in social history, the impact of oral history on culture, memory and recollection is frequently emphasized. The thesis looks into works of artists and curators such as Hito Steyerl and Serhat Kural who are influenced by the cultural production of the Mesopotamian geography and express this with their art.
The «Conches Annex» of the Ethnographic Museum of Geneva was developed to house the recently purchased «Amoudruz collection»; containing an extensive and classified variety of objects from the local alpine region. The curators had great ambitions for these newly acquired objects, most notably the objective to «decolonize» the Alps, which was said to be long appropriated since the eighteenth century through literature, travel tales and nationalist narratives.
The term «colonize» is omnipresent in many discourses today, and its use is heavily associated with European imperialist economic missions on external territories for the purpose of trade, labour, and national or religious expansion. The main question for this thesis is the following: Can the term «colonize» also be used in the context of early industrialization on European territory, which was followed by vast urban expansion and exploitation of rural territories and communities?
Ein Überdenken unserer Lebensweise und das Anerkennen der Verflechtung und gegenseitigen Abhängigkeit aller Lebewesen ist angesichts der planetarischen Krise dringend erforderlich. Kunstinstitutionen, die sich mit Fragen der Gegenwart beschäftigen,
nehmen die Thematik der Beziehung von Menschen zu ihrer Lebensumwelt vermehrt in den Fokus. Die Thesis untersucht Ansätze, die sich einer kritischen Praxis zuwenden und kuratorische Situationen als fluide Gefüge aus menschlichen und nicht-menschlichen Teilnehmenden verstehen. Kuratieren als relationale Praxis kann dominierende Narrative herausfordern, Verbundensein zwischen menschlichen und nicht-
menschlichen Akteur:innen anregen und Care-Beziehungen fördern.
Letztlich gilt es, kuratorische Praktiken weiterzuentwickeln und Ausstellungen als Kontaktzonen und Foren der Verhandlung und zu gestalten.
Mein Name ist Martin Svidron. Ich komme aus der Slowakei, lebe aber schon seit fünf Jahren in der Schweiz. Tanz und Interesse an Tanz haben mich seit frühester Kindheit auf verschiedenen Wahrnehmungsebenen begleitet und mein erstes Tanzstudium habe ich an der Tanz Akademie Kosice in der Slowakei absolviert. Tanzkunst sehe ich als imaginäre Reise, die über das Räumliche und Zeitliche hinausgeht und für das Besondere, das Poetische, das Melancholische, das Menschliche, das Magische als meine Realität und Sicht auf die Welt eine Darstellung bietet. Diese Reise ging für mich an der Zürcher Hochschule der Künste bei dem Studium Contemporary Dance weiter. Schliesslich gibt es nichts Schöneres, als zur richtigen Zeit am richtigen Ort zu sein und das Privileg zu haben, diesen wunderbaren Beruf auszuüben – Tänzer zu sein.
DIPLOM PROJEKT
MILLENNIUM - Retours à non retournables
Menschliche Energie, Gott und Glaube in der Harmonie und im Kontrast des modernen Denkens. Ja, die Metapher der Menschheit und der Welt des dritten Jahrtausends.
My name is Veronica Scanferla and I come from Venice, Italy.
I’m currently working with Stadttheater Bremerhaven as an internship position to complete my Bachelor in Contemporary dance in Zurich University Of The Arts. I did my first education in Milan at Accademia Kataklò where I had the chance to grow blending dance and acrobatic skills at the same time. As a dancer I like to be challenged with different qualities of movement and also combining my acrobatic background with wide and flowing movements.
DIPLOMA PROJECT
«COSMOS WITHIN CHAOS»
The contrast between chaos and cosmos. The way our society moves in our daily life. People walking on the street, running towards the bus, rushing through a tight schedule. And while we all move through our daily lives, we are creating movement-systems that continuously, consistently and repetitively keeps our society in motion. But how can we find stillness/the sense of cosmos within that structure of constant speed and rush/chaos?
Grazia Scarpato, was born in 2000 in Rieti, a small town near Rome, Italy.
From an early age, Grazia displayed a passion for the arts and began her studies in modern and contemporary dance when she was just ten years old.
She then expanded her training to include diverse range of techniques and styles.
She continued her studies at the Zurich University of the Arts in Zurich, where she started a bachelor in contemporary dance.
Grazia have danced in works by several renowned choreographers such as Nadav Zelner, Luca Signoretti, Alba Castillo, Dunja Jojic, Antonin Rioche, Tom Weinberger, and Bryan Arias.
Grazia has currently joined the TanzLuzern company as an intern for the 2022/2023 season.
DIPLOMA PROJECT
«Off-Kilter»
«Off-Kilter» is an idiomatic expression that means something is not quite right or is out of balance. It can also refer to a person who is acting in an unusual or unexpected way. Overall, it suggests that something is not in its proper or expected state.
The film uses the trail through the trees as a metaphor for time and the body's journey through it, offering a portrayal of how the effects of brain diseases can disrupt movement and balance.
Through specific movement qualities, the film explores how the body can get effected by symptoms such as tremors, stiffness, slowness, and loss of balance, providing a powerful visual representation of how the decline of the brain can affect the human body.
Ich wurde 2000 in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse in Deutschland geboren und wuchs in Zürich auf. Meine professionelle Ausbildung als Tänzerin begann im Atelier Rainbow Tanzkunst (2007 – 2020) und bei Danse Marina Grandjean, Académie MDC (2016 – 2020). Darüber hinaus halte ich einen Titel als professionelle Goldschmiedin und absolvierte eine Ausbildung zur Bijoutière Joaillière CFC (Goldschmiedin) bei DYB (Swatch Group). Zurzeit befindet ich mich in der letzten Phase meines Studiums vor dem Abschluss als Bachelor of Arts in zeitgenössischem Tanz an der Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK). Für die Spielzeit 2022/23 bin ich Mitglied von Tanz Münster Studio, der Nachwuchsförderung von Tanz Münster/Theater Münster.
DIPLOMA PROJECT
«Dance in the roaring twenties»
To truly laugh, you must be able to take the pain, and play with it. - Charlie Chaplin -
Die Tänze der 20er Jahre waren schon immer eine pure Inspiration für mich, so versuchte ich bei dieser Arbeit schritte vom Charleston, Swing, Shimmy, Lindy Hop und ein wenig Stepp etc. einzubauen, was einfacher gesagt als getan ist. Meine Arbeit sollte ein kurzer lustigen trailer sein, bei dem die Zuschauer:innen schmunzeln und vergessen können, sich wieder wie ein Kind fühlen. Auch für die Tänzer:innen sollte es sich lustig anfühlen, so finde ich, je komischer man sich fühlt, desto besser. Sei albern und schikaniert euch herum, dass dachte ich mir sollte die Interaktion beim Tanz sein. Wer bekommt den Hut am Schluss? Charlie Chaplin ist ein Künstler, welcher mich Inspiriert.
My name is Valentina Rodenghi and I come from Milan, Italy. When I was 16 years old, I left Milan to start my professional dance journey. I got my first dance experience in the Offjazz Junior Company in Nice, where I obtained the EAT diploma (Examen d'Aptitude Technique) in contemporary dance. From 2019, I was part of Dance Area's Area Jeune Ballet in Geneva. Since 2020, I have been studying at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) to obtain the Bachelor degree in Contemporary Dance.
As my internship for my bachelor in contemporary dance, I joined the TANZKOMPANIE THEATER ST. GALLEN under the artistic direction of Kinsun Chan, in the season 2022/23. I danced in choreographies by Mauro Astolfi, Francesca Frassinelli, Kinsun Chan, Julian Nicosia, Giovanni Insaudo, Nadav Zelner, Dunja Jocic, Alba Castillo, Antonin Rioche, Luca Signoretti, Marine Besnard, Blenard Azizaj and Tiago Manquinho, among others.
In parallel to my dance career, I obtained a sport management university diploma (in distance learning) at the Université Claude Bernard, Lyon.
DIPLOMA PROJECT
«a moment of honesty»
“a moment of honesty” is a project that investigates the meaning of honesty on stage.
In performances, dancers very often need to deal with their current emotions and detach from them, in order to transmit the ideas of the choreographers. What happens when they have the possibility and freedom to open themselves up to the audience and share something about themselves?
The project is a composition of improvisations where the two dancers (Dustin Eliot and Valentina Rodenghi) gave themselves the task of being themselves with their emotional states, together, in a space, without any wish of wanting to show off their dance. Personal voice recordings are incorporated.
The goal of this project was to allow ourselves to be honest and vulnerable and to let the audience enter in our personal “spaces”, as well as into our honest approach between each other, so that the spectators might feel emotionally involved, touched and perhaps even identify themselves within this project.
From the age of 10 to 15, I was a gymnast, my days filled with the sound of footsteps on the mat and the tense silence of competitions. At 15, dance entered my life, a revelation that changed my path. Joining the conservatory in Issy-les-Moulineaux (France), I dedicated myself to this art while pursuing scientific studies in high school. At 18, I was fortunate enough to join the ZHdK for a Bachelor's degree in contemporary dance, allowing me to delve deeper into my passion. Today, in my final year of the Bachelor's program, I remain an eternal student, learning and growing every day.
DIPLOMA PROJECT
«VIVA LA VIDA!»
«VIVA LA VIDA!» is a stirring contemporary dance tribute to Frida Kahlo. It vividly weaves her life's themes of pain, resilience, and love into choreography, supported by emotive music and silence. The performance is a collective creation, encapsulating Kahlo's artistic vision through every element, from costumes to lighting. It offers a unique perspective into her life beyond her paintings and writings, resonating universally with audiences.
My name is Giovanna Doria, I was born in Congo and raised in Milano, Italy where I received my first dance lessons. At the age of 16, I decided to move to Switzerland to complete my professional training at the Ballettschule Theater Basel. After graduating in 2020 I felt that I was not fully complete as a dancer and the curiosity of being able to combine my ballet technique with contemporary to the best of my abilities led me to the desire to pursue a bachelor’s degree in contemporary dance at the Zurich University of Arts. For my last year at the university, I joined Ballet Theater Basel as an intern for the season 2022/23. Throughout my education and dance career, I have danced works by Andonis Foniadakis, Edward Clug, Nadav Zelner, Pontus Lidberg, Dunja Jocic, Bryan Arias, Joost Vrouenraets, Iratxe Ansa & Igor Bacovich Craig Davidson, among others.
DIPLOMA PROJECT
FASHIONABLY FLUID
How Dance and Fashion Influence Each Other? The dance project is related to fashion in dance, particularly to ""Pina
Bausch,"" one of the world's most important dancers and choreographers
and the mother of the Tanztheater. Pina was not only an influence in terms
of dance, but also in the world of fashion, because of her fashion ideal, her
vision of costume, her thoughts, and the influence she has left in the
present day.
«The costumes of the Tanztheater are interesting as they present the dancers mainly as normal people - in dresses, suits, high heels and everyday shoes - as opposed to those who perform in traditional tights and dancers.»
Using choreography, costumes, music and location the film could highlight the ways in which fashion influenced Pina Bausch and vice versa. It could also deepen the cultural and social significance of fashion in dance, from traditional folk dances to contemporary styles. In the end, this video could inspire audiences to consider the role of fashion in dance and the impact it has on our world.