Three questions for Ramón Oliveras & Kim de l'Horizon

Dear visitors to Gessnerallee, dear artists

February is fast approaching and we are really looking forward to the premiere of ‘A Certain Darkness Is Needed to See the Stars’ by Ramón Oliveras & Kim de l'Horizon (7.2./8.2.). We asked the two artists three questions about the ritual performance including a solo percussion concert.

What is the background to ‘A Certain Darkness Is Needed to See the Stars’? How did the piece come about?

Ramón Oliveras: It was created during a time of grief and upheaval, when I was coming to terms with the loss of my mother, whom I had accompanied for four years through her process of dying. Death, which had previously been an abstract concept, suddenly became a tangible reality. However, the proximity to death also intensified my perception of the beauty and fragility of life. I began to experience the fleeting moments more intensely and to cultivate the connection to my loved ones more consciously.

With this piece, we want to create a space that enables other people to immerse themselves in this process too. It is an invitation to come to terms with our own transience and to celebrate the beauty of life in all its fullness. It is the dance between darkness and light, between sadness and joy, between life and death.

How did you come together as an artistic duo?

Kim de l'Horizon: We met at a neo-pagan ritual. It was the longest night of the year. With the ritual, we wanted to drive away the spirits of winter with fire; the meteorological spirits as well as the other spirits of cold and rifts; wounded hearts, violent conflicts and missing communities. As always the individual and the collective intermingled. We grounded ourselves on the rigid ground and invoked the elements and our community. By the end of the ritual, many things were clear: we both wanted to work together. Combine our powers and knowledge to find other ways of fighting the spirits of greyness.

For you, what would be the perfect feedback from the audience?

Ramón Oliveras: I hope that the audience's experience in this room will be very diverse and individual. However, I would be delighted if one or two people were to reflect on their own thoughts and feelings about transience and thus establish a deeper connection with themselves and others. Because: To be blessed in death, one must learn to live. To be blessed in life, you must learn to die.

Now for the weekly overview of programme items, newspaper articles, news and everything we want to share with you:

Programme recommendations for this and the coming week

30 January, 7 to 8 pm   

‘(f)LUX’ by Ensemble Eklekto (SONIC MATTER)

SONIC MATTER invites you to discover experimental music together. The festival will once again be a guest at Gessnerallee - including in the form of the concert performance ‘(f)LUX’. Suitable for anyone who has always wanted to know what light sounds like. More information

1 February, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

‘Die Insel’ by [in]operabilities (SONIC MATTER)

As an ensemble of artists with different ways of perception, [in]operabilities has created a new composition of the opera ‘Rinaldo and Alcina’ that plays on different sensory levels. The event also takes place as part of SONIC MATTER. Further information

7 and 8 February, 8 pm

‘A Certain Darkness Is Needed to See the Stars’ by Ramón Oliveras & Kim de l'Horizon

A solo percussion concert and a ritual performance as an invitation to reconcile oneself with one's own transience and celebrate the beauty of life. More information

Newspaper

The Lesbian Gaze und der Blick als Einladung

Last November, our dramaturge Isabel Gatzke wrote an analysis of the gaze. Because in the theatre in particular, the gaze becomes a field of negotiation for relationships and desire between the performers and with the audience. If you missed the article back then, be sure to read it now! To the article (only in German)

Furthermore

In February 2025, Kids in Dance will once again enliven the Gessnerallee and turn the north wing into their other home for a fortnight. This year's dance project ‘Fragmente’ brings together young people aged 12 to 18 from Zurich and the surrounding area. Together with choreographer Sabine Schindler and social pedagogue Bettina Aremu, the participating young people will create a dance piece during the sports holidays, which will be presented afterwards. The registration process is currently underway. More information  

The application window for this year's TanzPlan Ost ChoreoLab opens on 1 February. The call for applications is aimed at dancers and choreographers from Eastern Switzerland. It will take place in Rüdlingen (Schaffhausen) under the direction of Gregory Stauffer. More information

We look forward to seeing you again.

The Gessnerallee team

PS: Do you enjoy good cultural stories? Or do you know someone who doesn't like going to the theatre that much, but enjoys reading? Then we recommend a subscription to our printed newspaper, which is published four times a season. It costs CHF 20 (excl. postage) and you can order it directly at zeitung@gessnerallee.ch.