CHICKS*, Owzar, Gwen

Dear visitors to Gessnerallee, dear artists

Tomorrow marks the start of the two-week “Communities of Hope” programme (text only in German) at Gessnerallee. It invites visitors to explore practices of solidarity and hopeful strategies for community-building, whilst celebrating queer aesthetics.

Overview of the first week

Day 1: Thursday, 9 April

• 6 pm to 7 pm: Opening and light refreshments, ‘Belonging Space’* by Theres Indermaur and Stephanie Müller

• 8 pm to 9.45 pm: Performance ‘MASTEKTOMIE. A bittersweet farewell song’ by CHICKS*

Day 2: Friday, 10 April

• 8 pm to 9.45 pm: Performance ‘MASTEKTOMIE. A bittersweet farewell song’ by CHICKS*

Day 3: Saturday, 11 April

• 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm: Reading ‘I don’t want to write the perfect story’ with Mani Owzar, Anouchka Gwen, Rahel El-Maawi

• 8 pm to 9 pm: Concert by Anouchka Gwen

Day 4: Sunday, 12 April

• 2 pm to 6 pm: Writing workshop ‘I don’t want to write the perfect story’ with Mani Owzar

* The ‘Belonging Space’ serves as a retreat and quiet room and is open one hour before and one hour after each event. It will be closed on Sunday, 12 April.

Accessibility information

All events in this programme focus are taking place as Covid-safe events. This means that both testing and mask-wearing are mandatory in almost all rooms. Exempt from the mask requirement are areas where food and drink are consumed, such as the Stall6 Bar. Tests and masks are provided by the Gessnerallee. We recommend arriving at least 15 minutes before the event starts. You can find more information here.

In today’s weekly newsletter, we offer insights into the artistic and activist work of the artists presenting on the first weekend, as well as their thoughts.

CHICKS*, an independent performance collective visiting Zurich on 9 and 10 April with ‘MASTEKTOMIE. A bittersweet farewell song’, brings together various experts and interdisciplinary artists under the banner of a queer-feminist network.

In their queer performances, they combine interactive and installation-based formats with a visual theatre of objects and atmospheres. Through intensive aesthetic and thematic research processes, CHICKS* seek out the common ground in their lived realities, exploring what drives them, what they wish to shed, and what they want to change. They question social constructs, particularly those of gender, sexuality, sex and power, in order to develop performative alternatives and utopian gatherings. Furthermore, CHICKS* run workshops, seminars and training courses in the fields of queer-feminist and sexual education using the tools of performative theatre for young people and adults, professionals and amateurs alike. More about CHICKS*

Mani Owzar advocates for spaces that are sensitive to discrimination and will be visiting the Gessnerallee on 11 April for a reading from the book «Ich möchte nicht die perfekte Geschichte schreiben» and on 12 April for a writing workshop.

At the reading on 11 April, the two subjects of the book, Anouchka Gwen and Rahel El-Maawi, will discuss how we can remain hopeful and capable of taking action. In her work, Mani Owzar places particular emphasis on understanding discrimination through an intersectional lens. Owzar is a co-founder of Diversum, an association promoting anti-racist thinking. Owzar is active in various projects in the fields of education and culture and is co-author of the book «No to Racism. Foundations for an anti-racist school culture». Furthermore, two texts by Owzar have been published in the current issue of the Gessnerallee newspaper: «Huutfarb» (only in German) and «School for all: Why gender equality in schools is important» (only in German). Tickets for the reading

We are delighted that, following the discussion and reading with Mani Owzar, Anouchka Gwen will be giving a concert on Saturday, 11 April. Gwen is a singer-songwriter, bassist and cultural practitioner who was born and raised in Switzerland and currently lives in Zurich. After taking some time out, Gwen is now performing on stage as a solo artist – with a newfound sense of self. In the Gessnerallee Zeitung, the musician talks to Rahel Bains (only in German) about vulnerability as a strength, belonging in the cultural scene, and why hope is always a collective act. You can hear samples of Anouchka Gwen’s music here. To the concert tickets

Newspaper

Hope as a unifying practice

​​From 9 to 18 April, the ‘Communities of Hope’ programme at the Gessnerallee invites visitors to explore, together, practices of solidarity in coexistence and strategies for hope. Noa Winter offers an in-depth look at the programme. Read the article (only in German)

‘Like after a hug’

Following a break, Anouchka Gwen returns to the stage as a solo artist – with a newfound sense of closeness to herself. The musician talks to Rahel Bains about vulnerability as a strength, belonging within the cultural scene, and why hope is always a collective act. Read the article (only in German)

We look forward to your visit and to spring.

The Gessnerallee team