Cabaret der Künstler – Zunfthaus Voltaire will be a performance space and home to the newly founded Guild of Artists.
Cabaret Voltaire, the legendary birthplace of the Dada art movement in Zurich will be transformed into a guild house throughout Manifesta 11. It will be home to the newly founded guild of artists. Performers from all over the world are invited to join the guild by collaborating in a joint-venture performance.
Traditional guilds are communities, where likeminded people collectively represent their profession. Since the 14th century economy, politics, and culture in the city of Zurich have been decisively influenced by guilds. Manifesta, the European biennial of contemporary art has founded the first guild of artists for its eleventh edition taking place in Zurich this summer. Patrons of the Guild of Artists are Thomas Hirschhorn, Gianni Motti and Manon. Founding member Christian Jankowski, curator of Manifesta 11, together with Swiss artist Manuel Scheiwiller, Guild Master (Zunftmeister), will be responsible for the performance programme.
The Cabaret Voltaire is a renowned art institution in Zurich which was founded 1916 and held the events that gave birth to the Dada movement. During the 100 days of Manifesta 11. Cabaret Voltaire will be home to the newly founded guild. It will be architecturally transformed into a guild house (Zunfthaus) and renamed into Cabaret der Künstler – Zunfthaus Voltaire. It will serve as a platform for performances.
The Guild of Artists serves the interests of the artists as a profession. It will become a home to different generations of artists: from art students to artists with successful international careers. At the same time it will also welcome non-artists interested in performance art.
We hope the Guild of Artists grows into an international community. The money collected via this campaign is used for covering the expenses of international artists traveling to Switzerland to perform on the stage of Cabaret der Künstler – Zunfthaus Voltaire.
The eleventh edition of Manifesta deals with the professional world in Zurich. Under the titleWhat People Do For Money: Some Joint Ventures,artists from all over the world will collaborate with non-art professionals and develop their new commissions here. The performance programme in the Cabaret der Künstler – Zunfthaus Voltaire will also follow this curatorial concept: artists and people who are interested in art will team up to stage a so called joint-venture performance together.
The gender neutral Guild of Artist is open to everybody. Membership can only be achieved by performing on the stage of the guild hall. The Cabaret der Künstler – Zunfthaus Voltaire, located at Spiegelgasse 1 in Zurich, has three different sections that have different levels of access. The performance hall (guild hall) is reserved exclusively for members of the guild, while the café and the Guild Studio are open for all visitors.
There are two ways of becoming a member:
1) Send your application with your performance proposal to the guild master via: http://m11.manifesta.org/en/m11/guild-artists
2) Come by spontaneously anytime on Wednesday – Sunday after 8 p.m. during the biennial (11 June – 18 September 2016) and find a time to get on stage with your performance.
Anybody whose application fits the guidelines of a joint-venture performance is welcome to participate. Proposals will be selected by Swiss artist Manuel Scheiwiller, Guild Master of Cabaret der Künstler – Zunfthaus Voltaire, and Christian Jankowski, curator of Manifesta 11. We hope this innovative project, right in the heart of Zurich will encourage passersby who have never engaged in a performance before to step beyond their comfort zone and take part in a performance for the first time.
In the summer of 2016, the city of Zurich will host the eleventh edition of Manifesta, the European biennial of contemporary art. It is the first time in the history of Manifesta that an artist, Germany based Christian Jankowski, has been named as a Curator. Under the title What People Do For Money: Some Joint Ventures artists will be brought together with a range of representatives from various Zurich-based professions. The result will be 30 new commissions, which will be shown from 11 June until 18 September 2016 at the Löwenbräukunst (Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, LUMA Westbau / Pool and Kunsthalle Zürich) and the Helmhaus as well as in non-conventional venues like workplaces throughout Zurich. In addition to the Cabaret der Künstler – Zunfthaus Voltaire and its performance program we have developed another new exciting space just for Manifesta 11 in Zurich: the Pavillon of Reflections, a floating platform on Lake Zurich near Bellevue where visitors can experience and reflect upon the creation of the new commissions, as recorded in films shown on a large screen. For more information on Manifesta 11, visit www.manifesta11.org
Manifesta, the European Biennial of Contemporary Art was founded in the early 1990s by Hedwig Fijen from the Netherlands and holds its exhibitions at different locations every two years. Each edition responds to the diversity of social, political and geographical conditions in today’s Europe – a Europe that finds itself in crisis, more so than ever before, as demonstrated by the current debates surrounding the economy and migration. Ever since the first edition of Manifesta 20 years ago, the initiators have always placed the emphasis on critical thought, scientific research and artistic experimentation. Its high standards of mediation and comprehensive support program also ensure a dialogue with young people interested in art. For more information on Manifesta, visit www.manifesta.org
With your contribution of 25’000 CHF we will be able to fulfill our ideas of hospitality to the performing artists.
Most of our rewards are ready to ship or be redeemed in June 2016 but some of the handwritten ones may need a little extra time to send. If this is the case, we will be in touch with those backers directly.