Establishment of
Non-white Theaterhaus Zürich and House of Anti-Racism
The founding of a non-white theater house and a house of anti-racism by / for BIPOC* artists and communities is a historically significant movement and moment in Zurich. This history will bear witness and strengthen the global anti-colonial movement. Our safer house stands and stays for / with our BIPOC* people and invites non-BIPOC people to come and restructure their knowledges on history.
The house is permanent. It may change its artistic form and function to strengthen the process of decolonizing white supremacy, preventing structural racism and violence against BIPOC*, and demanding social equality and justice. The house is open to our people as a safer house, meeting place, archive, artistic cultural practices in all forms of art. And it is a house of BIPOC* artists and communities and ... - people who stand, resist, and suffer.
The non-white theater house consists of three spaces in Gessneralle 8 in Zurich: Experi-Werkhalle, Stall 5 (Nordflügel) and the Experi Betriebsbüro (E_BB).
Experi-Werkhalle is a non-white performers research and rehearsal space occupied by experi_theater in June 2021 and reoccupied in September 2022. The space (north attic part of Gessnerallee – above Stall 6) was long time empty and occasional storage of 20 years old production materials of Gessnerallee.
Programme July 2021 to March 2022
| July 17, 2021 | SOLO X 2 X LUCID SLEEP Titilayo Adebayo |
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| July 24, 2021 | Music Workshop and Lecture Cali P, Stela and Mykel Costa |
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Sep 3, 2021 |
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| Nov 8-12, 2021 | Info-Ausstellung #Sudanuprising |
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Dec 3, 2021 |
sono synthesis |
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Dec 30, 2021- |
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From March to August 2022 Experi-Werkhalle had to be emptied because of long term planned construction works.
On the 1st of September 2022 we had to occupy Experi-Werkhalle again.
>> Article on Akut Mag about the reoccupation of Experi-Werkhalle
During the recoccupation of Experi-Werkhalle, «soli-showings» from the windows took place expressing artistic solidarities – to stand and resist against institutionalised white supremacy.
«window acts» resistance program 2022
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6. September |
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| 7. September |
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8. September |
noise performance by Miao |
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| 9. - 11. September |
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12. September |
readings & resistance with Meret&Tara |
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| 13. - 14. September |
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15. September |
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| 16. September |
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Since October 2022, we continue to use a small part of Experi-Werkhalle for gatherings and sharings as well as other spaces in the house and in the city.
Programme since October 2022
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Nov 12-13, 2022 |
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Short films by Maisha Maene |
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BIPOC Community Outreach by Linke POC |
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Regular Twerkshop sessions with Iky, Lateena & Romancio |
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Community gatherings and performative readings, Aktionstage Justice4Nzoy |
Programme of resistance
From September 17, 2022 until October 23, 2022 we occupied Stall 5 (Nordflügel) to establish Non-white Theaterhaus and House of Anti-racism.
>>> WOZ-article about the Stall 5 occupation
From October 19, 2022 to December 20, 2022, we were in mediation talks with the board of the association Theaterhaus Gessnerallee to talk about the future of Non-white Theaterhaus in Stall 5 (Nordflügel).
On November 7, 2022 Stall 5 (Nordflügel) re-opened for one day.
The mediation talks ended with only temporary minor results.
Our process of resistance continues…
Instagram: @nonwhite_theaterhaus
E_BB is gradually developing into a general production office that supports BIPOC* artists in applications and the realisation of their artistic works.
E_BB becomes a place of practical knowledge sharing, where knowledge from the fields of production and fundraising as well as non-white, decolonial approaches to the structural needs of white institutions is shared and communicated.
We initiate this work with our 10 years of experience in producing artistic works in Zürich as well as other cities in Switzerland.
We share our professional knowledge to realize BIPOC* artworks with financial support in the field of the independent art scene in Switzerland.
E_BB is a structural supportive body / support work for BIPOC* artist and artist collectives to take their work further in Zürich and other parts of Switzerland; and to engage with institutionalized, state, and private funding systems.
The initiation of this work is related to a longstanding struggle by experi_theater against colonial practices in cultural policy and exclusively structured funding systems.
The organizational initiation of E_BB is realized with the support of the Bundesamt für Kultur and the Fachstelle Kultur des Kantons Zürich as part of the Covid financial aid programme "Transformationsprojekte“.
If you are an BIPOC*artist and need non-white support for the production of your works please contact us!