Banyan is a tree whose roots go really deep into the ground. Its seeds wander and sometimes end up inside old buildings, where they grow so strong that they can break the structure. As a metaphorical Banyan, Pankaj Tiwari uses a tent that keeps transforming and reshaping its image. This project is a playful encounter with and at Zurich and Gessnerallee. It is a space for imagining, thinking and responding to the current times, creating a temporary togetherness rooted in community building through sharing and listening. It is a space for local residents and artists to address the need for belonging in Western societies. It will also foster slowness, solidarity and a sense of community through informal meetings, moments of rest, readings, events and food, turning the city hosting the festival into a muse.
The tent is on the road during 2.5 weeks in Zurich.
03.06. - 07.06. / Grünhölzli
Opening (get together, food, etc..): 03.06. 6 pm
11.06. - 13.06. / Judith-Gessnerplatz
Opening (get together, food, etc..): 09.06. 6 pm
13.06. - 19.06. / At the Shedhalle, Rote Fabrik, by the lake
Opening (get-together, food, etc..): 15.06. 6 pm
Further public moments will be communicated on short notice via the Gessnerallee social media accounts.
BIO
Pankaj Tiwari is an artist and curator born in Balrampur (India) and based in Amsterdam. He is currently working as a co-curator for Gessnerallee. Pankaj is also the artistic director of international festivals and theatre collectives. In his work, he uses theatre, food and agriculture as a medium for community building.
Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) is a form of popular education (multi-day workshop) that uses theatre as a vehicle for fundamental social transformation.
| Sun12.6. |
Five cultural practitioners will meet for five days in the South Stage of the Gessnerallee. On the last day of the residency, they will present the results of the residency as a collective in the form of a symposium.
| Sat18.6. |
The artists Raunak Khan (India), Akshay Gandhi (India), Giulia Savorani (Italy) will each work on these issues in a studio for two weeks. On the last day of the residency they will open the doors of their studios.
| Sun19.6. |
