Circ-Exchange Week

In contemporary circus the reflection of working structures is becoming an increasingly prevalent conversation. This year’s Circ-Exchange Week has it’s focus on fair practice in contemporary circus.

The week offers a space to understand and learn practical tools to reflect on the culture of communication, to make artistic processes transparent and accessible, and to evaluate power dynamics. It will be led by Gaia Vimercati.

On Friday, Nov. 21, 15.00 – 16.30, a public moment (1.5 hours) will take place at the end of the Circ-Exchange Week, to which friends, colleagues and other interested parties are invited to enter the studio. The sharing is neither an open rehearsal nor a finished performance, but a space of encounter and exchange between the artists and the visitors, which is negotiated and designed jointly by the artists during the research week. It is an unusual opportunity to gain an insight into the creative process and to deal with the questions that move artistic research beyond the expectations of a show as a “finished product”.

Application criteria
You work mainly in the Swiss circus or physical theater scene, have a project you would like to explore, have time from November 17 to 21 and have a basic knowledge of English.

Application
Please send us your motivation, why you would like to reflect on the practice of your work (1/2 A4), a project description (1/2 A4) and a short CV by October 5 as a PDF to coleitung@zirkusquartier.ch, you will receive a reply within two weeks.

The week is open to circus and physical theater artists at all stages of their carrier. We will select based motsivation as well as a diversity of participants in terms of types of projects, disciplines, stage of career. We particularily invite people from marginalised communities (BIPOC, FLINTAQ+, neuro divergent, disabled…) to apply for the week.

Registration deadline: October 5, 2025

Workshop leader

Gaia Vimercati

Gaia Vimercati is an independent researcher and cultural project manager for Quattrox4, a contemporary circus center in Milan, Italy.

Caro Wuttke

Caro Wuttke is a contemporary circus artist based in Zurich, specialized in the vertical rope.
She is currently taking part in Cata Aguayo’s two-year research training course in Barcelona.

Luisa Schmitz

Luisa Schmitz was born in Zurich and works as a dancer, choreographer, coach and dance teacher, she has been on the road as a performer with Circus Chnopf and has been teaching circus and movement to children and young people ever since.

The Circ-Exchange format is supported by m2act.