«Backslash Festival 2026»

The Backslash Festival presents a carefully curated selection of live electronic acts, performances, DJ sets and visual interventions. Over the course of two long evenings, 25 artists from the international, national and local scenes will take over the spaces at Gessnerallee and bring them to life in a variety of ways. The result is a captivating atmosphere that invites you to stay until dawn.

Since 2016, the Backslash Festival has been presenting artistic projects at the intersection of performing arts, club culture and visual arts. The focus is on works that transcend disciplines and create aesthetic and formal synergies.

Timetable

Friday

Saturday

Accessibility information

• Step-free Access

• Age: For ages 18 and up

• Awareness: An awareness team will be on site throughout the whole event. A safe space is provided as a place of retreat.

• Sound: The volume can reach up to 100 dB. In Halle Ost, Halle West, and the Nordflügel, intense and clearly feelable bass is used at times.

• Lighting: In Halle Ost and the Nordflügel, stroboscopic effects as well as rapid changes between bright and dark light may be used temporarily. No stroboscopic effects are used in Halle West and Stall6.

• Haze and Fog: In Halle Ost and the Nordflügel, clearly noticeable haze and fog may be used at times. Only light haze is used in Halle West and Stall6.

• Quieter Space: Stall6 is designed as a quieter space with fewer sensory stimuli and additional seating. There are no loud sounds there, except on both evenings from approximately 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM during the live acts.

• Further Information: As the festival is still in development, information regarding the sensory stimuli of individual performances will be continuously updated on the respective event pages.

Performance by Ula Liagaitė

• Sound: Deep bass frequencies and a subwoofer are used at times. There may also be sudden changes in sound.

• Lighting: The room is lit with bright, yellowish light throughout.

• Audience and interaction: Everyone is free to move around the room. This may lead to light-hearted and spontaneous interactions between the performers and the audience.

Performance by Bast Hippocrate & William Cardoso

• Sound: Ambient music is played throughout the performance.

• Lighting: The room is lit with bright, yellowish light throughout.

• Content notes: During the performance, one dancer draws blood from himself using a syringe, whilst the other dancer assists him. Afterwards, both smear the blood onto their faces. During this scene, a safe distance from the audience is maintained and the syringe is disposed of afterwards.

Performance by margaretha jüngling, Alina Arshi & Luc Häfliger

• Lighting: At the beginning of the performance, it is very dark. The room is initially lit by only two light sources. No stroboscopic or flashing light effects are used.

• Sound: At one point, the performance can become very loud. It is currently not yet certain whether there will be rapid volume changes.

• Audience and Interaction: Food is offered to the audience during the performance. Audience members are not required to accept or eat the offered food. One performer moves through the audience using an oversized, long braid as a prop. As a result, it may occasionally be necessary to make way briefly.

• Scents and Food: No targeted or strong scents are used. Edible props are used, including sweet and savoury ‘soil’ containing gluten and dairy products. Because of this, faint scents may be noticeable.

Performance by Martín M. Wollmann & Yin Haolong

• Lighting: Stroboscopic effects are expected to be used in the performance. There are also very dark moments.

• Sound: Loud, intense sounds are expected to be used.

• Audience and Interaction: Based on current plans, no direct interaction with the audience is planned. As this is a new production, this is not yet finalized.

• Further Information: The performance is still in development. The details regarding sensory stimuli will be updated after the rehearsal phase if any changes occur.