Co-creation projects allow tandems of artists, culture practitioners, or collectives from the liaison office regions and Switzerland to collaborate on a new artistic creation following a Residency or a Research Trip.
Young Dreams
Young Dreams, a co-creation between Swiss-Iraqi musician/composer Laure Betris and Egyptian dancer/choreographer Amina Abuelghar, is a dance piece questioning remembrance and reminiscence. The artists delved into their personal and family audio-visual archives, from letters to recordings, songs, photographs, scents, spaces, and intimate childhood memories.
Laure and Amina spent time working on the project together, exploring what could come out of this collaboration. Through experimentation, they explored various avenues while staying true to the core theme they had chosen from the beginning. Young Dreams transformed the individuality of their pasts into a vivid imagination where their bodies become a new entity through sound, movement, and space combined to create this unique experience.
Young Dreams was performed at Rawabet Theater in Cairo, Egypt. It will be presented next in Switzerland at the Théâtre de l’Oriental in Vevey, from 8 to 12 January 2025, within “Les Chorégraphiques” program organized by Dansomètre and L’Oriental.
Hammam Elektric
Hammam Elektric is a co-creation project between Swiss musician Sami Galbi and the Moroccan founders of Kabareh Cheikhats: Amine Nawny, Ghassan El Hakim, Ali Lamaadli. Galbi and Kabareh Cheikhats are working on a new transdisciplinary project that includes music, dance, acting, and performing, inspired by the Aïta, the Moroccan Chaâbi, the Melhoun and the Halqa.
The seeds of this project were sown in March 2023, when Sami Galbi was in residency supported by Pro Helvetia Cairo at La Parallèle in Casablanca, also the rehearsal space for Kabareh Cheikhats. This encounter provided the perfect backdrop for an organic collaboration. Sami would pick up his bass and play together with them, and from there on, a mutual agreement to work together was born.
The first phase of the project unfolded in Casablanca, Morocco, where Sami embarked on a short residency to work with Ghassan, Ali, and Amine. This research phase was a collaborative journey, where they discussed motivations, ideas, and scheduling, setting a first objective to provide a 45-minute show. They also immersed themselves in Moroccan folk music repertoires, finding pieces that resonated with them all.
The next phase will take place in May in Switzerland. They will all meet in the Rocking Chairs space in Vevey, where the production and maturation phase for sound will be done. On 31 May 2024, the resulting show will be presented in a concert at the Bad Bonn Kilbi Festival in Düdingen, Switzerland.
Joint application for this pilot phase could be submitted by either partner until 1 June 2024.
Co-creation grants
This pilot measure was launched in 2023 to support collaborative projects by tandems of artists from Switzerland and the regions of the liaison offices. Applications can be submitted until 1 June 2024.
- Co-creation projects (for cultural practitioners from the Arab region)
- Co-creation projects (for cultural practitioners from Switzerland)
