Thematic events bring together a diversity of disciplines and act as a catalyst for generating new discussions, exchanges and new collaborations.
In 2023, Pro Helvetia supported 14 theme-based events in different regions of Switzerland. The events may have different formats such as discussion series, workshops or festivals that focus on a specific theme and potentially have a stimulating impact on the arts and cultural scene.
Discover two of the events supported in more detail below.
Tea Room Festival
The Tea Room Festival is a transdisciplinary festival that seeks to build and exchange tools for the promotion of minority groups in culture and society, to support social change towards greater equality and diversity in culture. The festival is intended as a forum for exchange and learning about the scope of activism in the cultural and media spheres.
Each event consists of a first part in the form of a talk show to create an intimate space for discussion around a cultural theme. The second part features a transdisciplinary artistic programme highlighting the project of an emerging artist or collective, like the dance & spoken word performance by Anna Chiedza Spörri and collective:
foodculture days
foodculture days is a platform for sharing knowledge about food and nutrition.
The event focuses on the cultural and social value of food. Its aim is to serve as a tool for reflecting on the impact of agricultural, food and environmental policies, both on a local and global scale. As a cultural project, foodculture days aims to bring together different disciplines and audiences to explore the intrinsic links between the natural and human sciences, the arts and society. The initiative proposes artistic and transdisciplinary projects that address the intrinsic link between food and ecology with the wish to promote social and environmental justice.
The central pavilion at Vevey’s lakeside promenade encouraged public participation and fostered exchange and collective reflection on food:
At the opening, Swiss artist Margaretha Jüngling presented “Inways of sharing”, an edible installation that questioned the way we engage with food and its countless social, environmental, and cultural entanglements.
Visitors were invited to partake of this buffet and to collectively break it apart.
During the biennial, visual artworks addressing questions of food and food politics were presented in a selection of restaurants, bistros and cafes around Vevey.
This collaboration with Vevey’s gastronomic milieu aimed to highlight the importance of restaurants as spaces of conviviality and culture.
About Art+
Under Art+ Pro Helvetia promotes collaboration projects that include sectors beyond the artistic field.
Funding opportunities for practitioners:
