Cultures of Embodiment in Performance: Collective Bodies, Marginal Bodies, Virtual Bodies in Global Arts Contexts
On 07 May 2026, the Department for Performing Arts & Film and the International Dossier of Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) will jointly be hosting ZHdK’s International Day 2026, focussing on diverse cultures of embodiment in performance and how international careers and global arts contexts shape these artistic practices today.
For the seventh edition of the event, we will welcome Professor Lola Arias, Argentine writer, theatre and film director, and newly appointed Artistic Professor of Embodiment in Theatre and Performance at ZHdK. In her inaugural lecture, Lola Arias will explore the interaction between marginalised bodies, embodied knowledge, memory and history within her boundary-crossing documentary theatre practice and outline her vision of embodiment for her professorship within an interdisciplinary institution like ZHdK. In a follow-on conversation with Professor Maria Delgado, Vice Principal Research and Knowledge Exchange at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, Lola Arias will elaborate on her unique artistic approach to embodiment.
Artist, poet, and ZHdK Fine Arts alumna Ishita Chakraborty will be joining Lola Arias and Maria Delgado for a subsequent panel discussion on international careers and the potential and challenges inherent in global arts contexts. The discussion on embodiment will be complemented by a presentation by the BA Acting module 'Between Realities' in the Immersive Arts Space. The event will close with a networking Apéro afterwards.
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