Highlights Performing Arts and Film

«Point of No Return» conference, image: Sarah Burger and Nadia Fistarol
«Point of No Return» conference, image: Sarah Burger and Nadia Fistarol

    «The urge to tell stories is probably older than language itself. However, we are steadily outsourcing the prerequisite for narratives; we barely talk to each other anymore. On the one hand, we know everything; on the other, we have ceased to focusing: this creates a productive time for researchers, who dedicate themselves to the unknown as knowledge, not as self-assurance.»

    Prof. Anton Rey, Head of the Institute for the Performing Arts and Film (IPF)

      Scientific, Artistic and Creative Output and Impact

      In 2023, the IPF attracted national attention with its DIZH research, Bernhard Mikeska’s appointment at the Collegium Helveticum, two book publications and three conferences (see below). Marisa Godoy concluded her «Residencies» research project while Prof Pierre Mennel presented his research film on «Super-8».

      → Overview «Scientific, Artistic and Creative Output and Impact»

        Promotion of Talents and Careers

        Ilse van Rijn succeeded Yvonne Schmidt as director of the 3rd Cycle. Currently, the programme maintains cooperations with four renowned arts universities (Graz, Linz, Potsdam-Babelsberg and Stockholm). In 2023, seven new doctoral students entered one of our two swissuniversities-funded PhD programmes: the Transdisciplinary Artistic PhD and the artistic-scientific PhD in Performing Arts and Film. The 4–5 places available on our PEERS Pre-Doc Programme, whose 3rd cohort also launched in 2023, and whose evaluation report was well-received, continue to be internationally much sought-after.

        → Overview «Promotion of Talents and Careers»

          Cooperation und Internationality

          Bernhard Mikeska was appointed Researcher in Residence and Senior Fellow at the Collegium Helveticum, the Joint Institute for Advanced Studies of UZH, ETH and ZHdK.

          Supported by the DIZH, Manuel Hendry launched the «CineMINDS» project as a collaboration between ZHdK, UZH and CILECT (The International Association of Film and Television Schools).

          Thanks to Chantal Haunreiter’s initiative, ZHdK became an associate partner of the FilmEU Network.

          The IPF is represented by Miriam Loertscher in the «Mit den Sinnen einer Spinne» project directed by Niklaus Heeb, as well as in an EU project on «Stigma & Disability in Audiovisual Media» (directed by B. Lameris, Open Uni, NL).

          → Overview «Cooperation und Internationality»

            External Funding

            In 2023, the IPF participated in two international research projects: «LeKuLab» – Intangible Cultural Heritage as a Field of Learning (involving, among others, Liliana Heimberg, funded by the Wissenschaftsverbund der Vierländerregion) and «The Answering Machine» (directed by Gunter Lösel, funded by the VW Foundation). «Cinemémoire.ch expanded», a research-based online archive of Swiss film history, was successfully completed under the direction of Thomas Schärer (supported by four foundations).

            → Overview «Research Projects»

              Reading Tips

              • subTexte vol. 27: «Actor & Avatar. A Scientific & Artistic Catalog»; including contributions by Dieter Mersch, Miriam Loertscher, Anton Rey, et al, published by Transcript (https://blog.zhdk.ch/subtexte/)  
              • subTexte vol. 28: Bernadette Kolonko: «Unsichtbares und Ungesagtes. 10 Female * Feminist * Gazes. Blick- und Körperbilder einer neuen Generation feministischer Regisseur:innen», published by Schüren. 

                Milestone

                Nadia Fistarol, Sarah Burger, Andreas Bürgisser and the large team including Raumlaborberlin organized and hosted a lecture series titled «Critical Ecologies», the «Point of No Return» research academy and an international conference on sustainability in trade using scenic means. The event was attended by students from ten programmes for scenic spaces across Germany and Switzerland. In 2023, the IPF’s sustainable innovations included the launch of the «Mining Map Zurich» website.

                  Event Highlight

                  Once again, the biennial ZDOK documentary film conference, co-directed by Sabine Gisiger and Miriam Loertscher, proved highly successful. 200 filmmakers and international experts convened to discuss the possible uses of found footage and archival material in documentary film. The ZDOK.23 presentations and panel discussions were recorded and published open access.

                    Awards

                    Vicky Krieps – a HMT* alumna and winner of the European Film Award for Best Actress – was appointed ZHdK Companion (*one of ZHdK’s predecessor institutions).