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Swiss animation artist Michaela Müller has won critical acclaim for her thought-provoking animation films. Her award-winning eight-minute film Miramare (2009), which premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, has been shown at more than one hundred festivals, and won eighteen awards including the Swiss Film Prize. Her second animated short film Airport premiered in 2017 at Animafest Zagreb and was awarded Best Swiss Animation at Fantoche 2017, Best Sound at Ottawa Animation Festival 2017, won the Silver Hugo Award for Best Animation at Chicago International Film Festival, as well as the Swiss Film Prize. Over the course of the past year, Michaela Müller and animation artist Anna Samo created the music video Real Human Being with American singer-songwriter Ryan Martin, which premiered on July 1 on American Songwriter. Real Human Being tells the story of a lonely person who is able to brighten the world around him through the music in his heart. Straddling the fine line between despair and hope, the video’s narrative resonates with all who have experienced the city during quarantine and beyond. Watch Real Human Being and read the exclusive interview with Michaela Müller to find out more about the process of making the music video, her award-winning films, and what she will do with her newly acquired coding skills.
Image: Still from Ryan Martin - Real Human Being |
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Go on a culinary tour of Switzerland with Chef Yannick Germanier and discover homemade ice cream from the canton of Fribourg. Yannick uses double cream from La Gruyère, a specialty of the region that also produces the world famous Gruyère cheese, and combines it with Bricelet, a thin and crispy wafer. Bricelet can be made sweet or savory and is a confectionary delicacy from the region. This delicious ice cream is a perfect treat for young and old and will help you cool down during hot summer days. Watch Yannick prepare homemade ice cream here and find the recipe in the video description.
Image: © Yannick Germanier
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Hauser & Wirth presents their first exhibition devoted to Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889 – 1943), one of the most important artists of the 20th-century avant-garde. Taeuber-Arp challenged conventional boundaries by working across disciplines from works on paper, paintings, textiles, and sculpture, to design and architecture, as well as dance and performance. “ In a flower, in a beetle, every line, every form, every color has arisen from a deep necessity.” - Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Explore the online exhibition featuring thirty works spanning from 1916 to 1942 alongside photography drawn from the archives of the Arp Foundation (Stiftung Arp e.V.), and watch the documentary Sophie Taeuber-Arp: Modern Master to learn more about the life and work of Sophie-Taeuber Arp.
Image: Sophie Taeuber-Arp, with “Dada-Head” from 1920
© Stiftung Arp e.V., Berlin/Rolandswerth/Artists Rights Society (ARS)
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Music producer Derek Nievergelt studied piano and clarinet before discovering the bass at age thirteen. A Berklee College of Music alumnus, he was accepted at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, where he received one-on-one instruction from legendary bassist Ron Carter. Born in Illinois and partially raised in Zurich, he was inspired by his friends making rap and electronic music. “I was a Jazz fanatic and through my friends became curious about music production. I loved that people I knew were so hugely influenced by American hip-hop and so was I.” The first five tracks of this week’s upbeat playlist are either from Nievergelt’s first album The Jewels (2019) or albums he worked on as a producer and/or co-writer. Listen to Derek Nievergelt’s curated playlist here.
Image: Derek Nievergelt © Monica Jane Frisell
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Join our third house music dance class with Tatiana Desardouin, a professional dancer, choreographer, dance instructor, organizer, curator and educator. Of Haitian origin, born and raised in Switzerland, Tatiana is the founder of Passion Fruit Dance Company, which performed at Jacob's Pillow, The New Victory Theater, the Apollo and 92Y. She was selected as one of the Dance Magazine's 2020 "25 to Watch" and has been instrumental in the growth of the Swiss hip-hop scene. In this class, Tatiana will inspire new footwork skills and grooves, help you release stress and improve your sense of rhythm. You will also learn historical facts about this dance style. Join Monday, July 20 at 1pm here. Meeting ID: 858 1323 9453 Password: 968693
Image: Tatiana Desardouin © Sabrina “Duchess” Del Duca
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Align, breathe, strengthen and stretch with dance master Marie-Christine Giordano. This class for any age group will help you understand how to align your spine and articulations in order to avoid unnecessary chronic injury. It will help you develop a good muscle memory to maintain the understanding and good posture acquired during class into your daily life. Register in advance for the 60-minute class on July 29 at 1pm here. Meeting ID: 984 5060 3149
Image: Marie-Christine Giordano © Kokyat
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In this ninth episode of our podcast series Swiss Literature Today, Italian poet Fabiano Alborghetti speaks with host Alta L. Price about his three years dwelling with undocumented migrants around Milan, and his book of reportage poetry documenting the lives he encountered, Portraits of Absence – available in English translation by Marco Sonzogni and Ross Woods from Guernica Editions. Alborghetti is editor-in-chief of poetry for the Swiss-based publishing house Gabriele Capelli Editore and a member of the scientific committee of the Babel Festival in Bellinzona. He won the Swiss Literature Award in 2018 and his book Maiser was adapted as a radio drama by the Swiss broadcasting organization RSI in 2019. Listen to the interview on Trafika Europe Radio on Thursday, July 16 at 1pm or as of Sunday, July 19 on the Trafika Europe archive.
Image: Fabiano Alborghetti © Ladina Bischof |
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The tenth episode of our podcast series features Swiss-Cameroonian author Max Lobe in conversation with host Andrew Singer about his latest novel A Long Way from Douala, available next year from HopeRoad Publishing in English translation by Ros Schwartz. In this episode, Max Lobe talks about the Black Lives Matter movement, emigration and internal displacement in Cameroon, religious fanaticism, colonial aspects of language, models of masculinity, and what it is like to be Black and gay in today's society. Listen to the interview on Trafika Europe Radio on Sunday, July 19 at 1pm, Tuesday, July 21 at 6am, and Thursday, July 23 at 1pm, or anytime as of Sunday, July 26. Find previous episodes of the podcast series here.
Image: Max Lobe © Romain Guélat |
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This year's first ever online edition of the Festival de Cine Europeo de Puerto Rico, features the Swiss comedy Vagenda Stories from 2019, directed by Natascha Beller. This quirky, yet very contemporary comedy is about the misfortunes of three women in their thirties, two sisters and their friend, who face social pressure to have children, careers and relationships. With humor and wit, the film touches on concerns and expectations that women face in today’s society. Watch Vagenda Stories from July 16 through 28.
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My name is Linda Schawalder and I’m the Head of the Visa Section at the Consulate. These days we are very busy handling all requests and queries regarding travel to Switzerland. My pick is the song Kawasaki by my favorite Swiss pop rock band Hecht from Lucerne. Most people know Kawasaki as a motorcycle brand - to me it's a catchy tune that reminds me of summer evenings with my friends and family back home in Switzerland. And what do motorcycles and this song have in common? Both do not stand still. While Kawasaki makes you want to ride a bike, it also makes you want to dance or, in my case, peddle through the streets of Manhattan to work on a Monday morning. Enjoy Linda’s favorite uplifting song here!
Image: © Linda Schawalder |
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Consulate General of Switzerland in New York, Cultural Department: nyc.culture@eda.admin.ch
Swiss Links:
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