Gessnerallee Zurich is a venue for contemporary performative arts and cooperates with local, national as well as international artists in the fields of research, production, presentation and touring. We are interested in collaborating with experienced artists, emerging artists and career changers. We see ourselves as hosts, collaborators, and enablers, and in our decisions we attach importance to making both sustainable, long-term collaborations and short-term planned projects possible.
Our focus is on the presentation and production of artists who are characterized by a high degree of reflection on social and/or aesthetic issues, who have a need for the continuous development of their artistic, aesthetic practice, who like to take risks and at the same time are sensitive to diversity and inclusion related topics and issues. Overcoming the underrepresentation of marginalized individuals and groups in the cultural field is a concern of ours. We therefore particularly encourage artists and career changers with structural experiences of discrimination to present themselves.
Artistic work is a process that always involves decisions for a certain aesthetic, for a certain form, for a certain theme - and thus leaves out other possibilities. Within the tension between the demand for openness and the need for omission, the ability to empathize, generosity, the joy of sharing, but also the will to make transparent decisions are important components of good cooperation for us.
For us, another focus is the constant examination of the question for whom we produce artistic works and how we can make the stay in our spaces as accessible, pleasant and stimulating as possible for a diverse audience. That's why we welcome the willingness to think about the visitor's perspective, the interest in the creative use of accessibility forms (such as audio description, sign language, relaxed performance, multilingual surtitles, etc.) and the collaboration in the design of communication tools.
Program decisions Season 24/25
The new program team for Gessnerallee's theater, dance, performance and music program is composed of the co-lead, program and production dramaturgy and music curation. The curatorial processes will be accompanied by two permanent diversity agents and two producers plus technical management. In addition, the program is critically and kindly mirrored from a diversity-sensitive perspective by the approximately five-member advisory board group Critical Friends.
New funding situation
Due to the new funding situation in the city of Zurich, the allocation processes for production funds are changing. From 2024, Gessnerallee will be able to award production funds, which previously had to be applied for from the city, directly to the artists. This will enable both long-term collaborations and short-term projects. We support artists in research, production, presentation, touring and also in larger projects as well as small try outs.
Artists with a focus of work in Zurich
Artists who see themselves as part of the Zurich artist community and are interested in long-term or short-term collaborations and are planning research, projects, labs, etc. in the 24/25 season were able to present their plans to us for the first time in fall 2023; decisions were communicated to the artists by the end of November 2023. As the 24/25 season is already very full, we can only enter into collaborations with a few other artists for this period.
Recommendation for prior contact
We recommend that artists who are interested in a collaboration contact the co-directors by email at least two weeks before submitting material so that we can check whether a collaboration is possible in principle and avoid unnecessary work on the artistic side.
The submitted material should consist of:
- a letter of motivation describing why a collaboration with Gessnerallee is desired
- a two-page outline of your plans for a maximum of two years (research, stage projects, new formats),
- possible co-operation partners,
- possible offers regarding inclusion and accessibility,
- a budget outline including the desired Gessnerallee contribution
- a CV - and
- if possible, links to past work.
Open Calls
Beginning with the 24/25 season, Gessnerallee will offer regular opportunities to work on the house in specific formats through Open Calls. The first Open Call will be published in summer 2024, applications will be decided by a jury.
International artists, guest performance requests
National and international artists interested in co-producing, doing a residency, or presenting a guest performance can contact us.
Contact
For project proposals, please write to the program group (Isabel Gatzke, Kathrin Veser, Miriam Walther, Noa Winter) at programm@gessnerallee.ch. They are currently working a reduced workload for the Gessnerallee - inquiries will be processed within four weeks if possible.
Status: 24.04.2024