Zurich Meets New York: Dada Bomb & Collegium Novum

David Weinstein interviews opera director Doug Fitch from Giants Are Small and conductor Jonathan Stockhammer from Collegium Novum Zurich in anticipation of Zurich Meets New York: A Festival of Swiss Ingenuity taking place in New York City from 16-23 May 2014. The three discuss their specific project and wander through the history of Dada, the anti-art movement that has a strong presence in the festival. Here are some details on the tow gentlemen and the overall festival: With audio illustrations by Erik Satie and Kurt Schwitters, plus a special Clocktower Dada mashup.

May 16 - A rare screening of Dada short silent films (Richter, René Clair), and the American classic The Fall of the House of Usher, accompanied live by Collegium Novum Zurich, playing original and newly commissioned scores (David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center).

May 17 - A spectacular, never-before-experienced evening curated by acclaimed theater production company Giants Are Small (Doug Fitch and Edouard Getaz), featuring Dada acts by American and Swiss artists (The Box; Meeting point to be disclosed only to participants).

May 18-22 - Dada On Tour, multimedia installation, curated by the Cabaret Voltaire, features the “Starry Heaven of Dada”, mapping the journey of this international art movement from 1916 to 1923 (Whhiate Box Art Center).

Performing and visual artists, scientists and urban planners, public intellectuals and researchers will come together to examine the far-reaching influence of one of Europe’s great cities, as New York hosts Zürich Meets New York: A Festival of Swiss Ingenuity, May 16-23. The multi-venue, citywide festival takes its inspiration from the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Dada movement, founded in Zurich by refugees fleeing World War I, and the city’s current role as a global center of artistic and scientific innovation. In all, 25 events will engage audiences in panels and performances highlighting the contemporary relevance of visionary movements and ideas born in Zurich and their impact on American culture.

Featured participants include novelist Renata Adler, choreographer Simone Aughterlony, new music ensemble Collegium Novum, neuro-economist Ernst Fehr, science editor Fred Guterl, theater production company Giants Are Small, urban planner Constantine E. Kontokosta, cultural icon Dieter Meier, artificial intelligence expert Rolf Pfeifer, policy analyst T. Irene Sanders, video game developer Tim Schafer, veteran option trader Nassim N. Taleb, and physicist and economist Didier Sornette, among others.

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