This lake of things we don’t understand

An interview with Belgian artist Miet Warlop

Miet Warlop is a Belgian performance and visual artist. Her works – performances, actions and interventions – have been featured at many European festivals. She appeared at the Zurich Theater Spektakel in 2023 with ‘One Song’ and returns this year with ‘INHALE DELIRIUM EXHALE’. In conversation with Matthias von Hartz, artistic director of the Zurich Theater Spektakel, Miet Warlop talks about the complex rehearsal process, the pitfalls of the material – and she also reveals a few secrets...  

Ecologies of Exploitation

A Zoom conversation between Manuela Infante

Chilean theatre-maker Manuela Infante is one of the most influential voices in contemporary Latin American theatre. On the occasion of presenting her new piece «Vampyr» at the Zürcher Theater Spektakel, she spoke with curator Lea Loeb about postcolonial takes on renewable energy, the vampire as a figure of resistance, about humour and exhaustion – and why theatre should be a space for productive confusion.  

CAPITALISM'S ECOLOGICAL CONTRADICTION

A plead for multidimensional ecopolitics

Many artistic works presented in this edition, and at this festival in general, engage with ecological issues. The engagement of international artists in environmental topics not only addresses concerns but also sheds a light on societies and complex socio-economic systems shaped by specific, often colonial histories. The American philosopher Nancy Fraser has long been concerned with the circumstances and challenges of neoliberal societies. In this essay, she describes how these systems undermine their own foundations and advocates for a new, environmentally sustainable and socially just economic model – one that brings together diverse perspectives and connects economic thinking with ecological awareness.  

THE PHYSICAL BODY AS ARCHIVE

Rwandan choreographer, musician, singer and performer Dorothée Munyaneza in conversation

Dorothée Munyaneza is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work is dedicated to memory and making erased or lost voices, stories and bodies visible and audible. In 2021, Dorothée Munyaneza was already a guest at Theater Spektakel with the play «Mailles». This year, two of her works, «Toi, Moi, Tituba...» and «umuko», will be performed in Zurich. The interview with Dorothée provides an in-depth insight into her multifaceted oeuvre and her fascinating work.  

IT’S ABOUT BREAKING THE CYCLE

Interview with Brazilian director and performer Jéssica Teixeira

Brazilian director and performer Jéssica Teixeira was awarded Brazil's most important theatre prize for Best Director in 2024 for her solo ‘Monga’. The piece, which will be shown at the Spektakel theatre in August, powerfully explores body images, ascribed identities, memory and visibility. In conversation with curator Lea Loeb, Teixeira talks about historical and sexualised violence, performative autonomy, the power of nudity on stage - and how art can imagine new forms of coexistence.  

«Change begins with you; you have to take the first step.»

The artist, cultural worker and activist Ulokcwinyu Ubia Hope from Uganda in conversation with curator Maria Rößler

Why is international cultural exchange important and what challenges do cultural workers in Uganda face? Curator Maria Rößler spoke about this with artist, cultural worker and activist Ulokcwinyu Ubia Hope, who was a guest of the international exchange program Watch & Talk at the Zürcher Theater Spektakel in 2024.  

«We will not give up»

Argentinian artist Juan Onofri Barbato in conversation with curator Lea Loeb

What is it like to be an artist in Argentina today? Curator Lea Loeb spoke to artist Juan Onofri Barbato about the current state of the Argentinian art world and the importance of resistance.  

«RESISTANCE IS ABOUT KEEPING STORIES ALIVE.»

Lebanese choreographer Ali Chahrour in conversation with curator Maria Rößler

Ali Chahrour is a recurring guest at the Zürcher Theater Spektakel. The Lebanese choreographer presented his piece «Layl (Night)» on the Lake Stage (Seebühne) in 2019 and was awarded the ZKB Patronage Prize in 2022 for «The Love Behind My Eyes.» Beirut is the center of Ali Chahrour's life and work. Despite political and economic crises, the Covid-19 pandemic, the explosion in the port of Beirut, and the recent military attacks, mass displacement, and emigration, Ali Chahrour and his team have continued their artistic work in Lebanon. Through their creations, they also collectively process their own experiences. Dramaturg and curator Maria Rößler spoke to Ali Chahrour at the beginning of the new year.  

Magazin 2024

To the interviews of last years «Magazin» with Lola Arias, Stefan Kägi, Marta Górnicka, Alice Ripoll, Tiziano Cruz, Jr Maddripp und Adeline Kerry Cruz, Mario Banushi, Shu Lea Cheang und Dondon Hounwn