Revolving Hi:stories — translocal historie:s of performance art Zurich & BANG BANG
two research meetings in Zurich for BANG BANG translocal historie:s of performance art at Museum Tinguely Basel
Revolving Histories/Performance Chronik Basel
Since 2006, Performance Chronik Basel has been researching performance art as a collaborative network using the method of oral history. At that time, a first map on performance art in Basel was created, which was completed in 2014. Based on collective interviews and extensive material research, a website and two book publications were edited.
Currently, Performance Chronik Basel is the supporting organisation for the collaborative project Revolving Histories, a joint research on performance art in Switzerland (until today). In an 'anti-hegemonic' research work, research meetings took place in advance in different regions of Switzerland.
In Zurich, in an exchange with Michael Hiltbrunner, who has created and manages an impressive archive for the F + F, lists of names of artists working in performance in the Zurich region were compiled and compared with my own list. The list included more than 300 names based on my own network and knowledge of the Zurich performance scene.
The data on places, actors, activists, artists and movements collected in these oral history meetings and recorded on large maps, ranging from the past to the present 2022, generated source material and documents. The oral history meetings in Zurich at the ZHdK and the Tanzhaus were attended by about 80 participants and were actively remembered, exchanged and updated.
On the basis of these, the exhibition project BANG BANG - translocal performance Geschichte:n in the Museum Tinguely, was conceived and realised. More than 60 artists, groups and collectives were interviewed, of which approx. 26 interviews and meetings in Zurich in advance with approx. 37 artists.
The heart of this undertaking, is the BANG BANG plattform: With calls, all participants of the research meetings and names of extended research lists were invited to upload their performative works (photos, videos, PDF) to a platform specially developed by the Mediathelk of the FHNW. To date, more than 1,900 entries have been made. All the productions (performances, talks, interviews) that took place during the BANG BANG exhibition period at Museum Tinguely are also gathered on the platform. The platform is a collection and will continue to be accessible after the end of the BANG BANG exhibition.
A comprehensive publication is also planned for the future.