Annual program

SWITZERLAND IS NOT AN ISLAND

March 5, 2013 – January 26, 2014

Shedhalle will carry out an annual program of exhibitions, films and events, entitled SWITZERLAND IS NOT AN ISLAND during the year 2013.

On the one hand side, the program will bring up the issue of social exclusion and persecution, but also political and cultural self-organisation of Jeni, Sinti and Roma in Switzerland aswell as in Europe. The regulation of public space through a ban of begging or other policies of spatial exclusion will be placed within the context of distribution and redistribution of wealth, the „making-invisible“ of poverty as well as possible counter-strategies. This will be linked to questions of political exile, border and migration policies.

The topic of political exile will be revisited in the other core theme of the program: within the framework of the „Richard Wagner Year“ 2013 it will adress the production of the artistic genius as a commercial and high brow cultural strategy of commodification and location policy. Different projects will query the transformation of an anti-Semite into a dazzling role model for Switzerland as „country of exile“ - while others, who are seeking shelter, a better life or simply their livelihood in Switzerland are being marginalized, criminalized and pushed out of public life and space.

The annual program will start with a film program of the same title: SWITZERLAND IS NOT AN ISLAND in the beginning of March. It will take place twice a month in the newly designed Cinema at Shedhalle and is free of charge.

On April, 9th a „Research Exhibition“ will open at Shedhalle, which will engage with the mentioned two core themes. The exhibition assembles art works, publications and research material.The material will be the basis for Workshops, Discussions, poster campaigns or other interventions while the exhibition will be continuously supplied with documentation of the projects taking place.