Aesthetics of the Im/Mobile

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The research project Aesthetics of the Im/Mobile explores which new approaches performing arts festivals and cultural institutions, mainly in Switzerland and neighboring countries, have developed in dealing with “im/mobility” as one of the challenges of our times. Performing arts festivals tend to take on a pioneering role as incubators for new ways of working and aesthetical practices, both in the context of accessibility for disabled artists and audiences, as well as ecological questions or climate change, or more sustainable ways of working in general. Some festivals experiment with digital or hybrid curatorial formats to question the notion of physical mobility in the performing arts. The lecture discusses how the digital space does not automatically mean fewer barriers for disabled artists and audiences. Rather, as case studies with festival makers show, the solution seems to lie in modular, adaptable curatorial concepts: As an example, the Implantieren Festival in Frankfurt/M., Germany, set up a residency program based on the question of what working conditions for disabled artists would ideally look like. Likewise, “Gathering in a better world” by Anna Mültner and Goethe Institute South Africa fosters alternate modes of togetherness for disabled artists worldwide. By setting the curatorial starting point with the questions of accessibility and care, festivals address core principles, such as the notion of site-specificity of festivals.

Yvonne Schmidt (she/her), is a Professor and head of the two research projects Aesthetics of the Im/Mobile (2022-2026) and EcoArtLab (2023-2027), funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, at the Bern Academy of the Arts in Bern, Switzerland. Her research focuses on aesthetics and institutional transformation in contemporary theater, performance and disability, transdisciplinary approaches to arts and climate justice, and artistic research. She is the co-president of the Swiss Association for Theatre Research and founder of the Performance & Disability working group of the International Federation for Theatre Research (IFTR). In this context, she facilitated exchange formats with scholars and artists in Asia, Europe, and South America for a decade. She has worked for performing arts festivals, including the Biennale “New Plays from Europe” and NO LIMITS Berlin.

metaLAB is partnering with the Mahindra Humanities Center to sponsor the Transmedia Arts Seminar, chaired by metaLAB Principal Researcher, Magda Romanska, and an Affiliate, Ramona Mosse.