Artists 2020
Brigitta Luisa Merki
Choreographer / Artistic director
Brigitta Luisa Merki is choreographer and artistic director of tanz&kunst königsfelden as well as of the dance company Flamencos en route which she founded in 1984. Her choreographies are inspired by poetry as well as current events. Her collaborations across genres are based on the art of trust in tradition and artistic visions of the future and on dialogue between different cultures. For many years Brigitta Luisa Merki has dedicated herself to an intensive educational and choreographic activity at home and abroad.
In 2007 she founded the dance cycle "tanz&kunst königsfelden", an interdisciplinary dance platform combining dance, music and visual arts. Every two years, Gesamtkunstwerke are created, which are created especially for the Monastery Church in Windisch / AG. Since 2012 t&kk is one of the nine "cultural flagship" of the canton Aargau.
In 2004 Brigitta Luisa Merki was honoured with the Hans-Reinhart-Ring, the highest award in theatre in Switzerland, for her innovative work in dance. In 1999 she was awarded the Culture Prize of the AZ Media Group Switzerland.
Eliane Zgraggen
Artistic direction visual arts, literature, documentation, conception, project management art education projects
Since February 2019, Eliane Zgraggen has been responsible for the artistic direction of the visual department of t&kk, as well as for literature and documentation. She conceives and directs the educational art project 2020, develops possibilities for new cooperations and new perspectives for the future of the dance institution. Already in 2014 and 2018 she was responsible for the project management of the educational arts projects.
Eliane Zgraggen is an artist, art mediator and cultural manager. In 2015 she was responsible for the interdisciplinary programme of the audiovisual interface festival "Taktung" in Zurich. As creative director of the Badenfahrt (2012 and 2017) she was also able to publish her first book "Versus". She is passionate about conceiving and networking. As an artist, she often uses contingency, humour, human (un)deeds and (crazy) ways in her installations and paintings. She is a trained teacher of technical, textile and visual design and taught from the 1st primary class through all levels up to coursework at the ETH Zurich iArch (information Architecture). Her family, Dada and the "Republic" inspire her.
Valentina Pedica
Contemporary dance
Valentina Pedica was born in Fabriano, Italy. She studied dance at the IDA Ballet Academy in Ravenna and completed her ballet and contemporary studies in Madrid at the Real Conservatorio Profesional de Danza Mariemma. After master studies throughout Europe, she became a member of the Celli Contemporary Ballet in Rome in 2012. In 2013 Valentina wins the 1st prize at the Spoleo International Dance Competition. In the dance film "Motion Games" by Lucas van Woerkum and Ruben Van Leer (NL) she performs in the choreography of Lukas Timulak (Nederlands Dans Theater). Since 2013 she has been a dancer at Dantzaz Konpainia and has worked with renowned choreographers such as Itzik Galili, Lukas Timulak and Jacek Przybylowicz. Further engagements already took her to Switzerland in 2015 for the tanz&kunst königsfelden production "SIBIL.LA" and again in 2019 for "IKARUS, stirb oder flieg" (IKARUS- die or fly) and to Madrid for the Elephant in the Black Box Company.
Daria Reimann
Dancer, dance teacher, contemporary choreographer
Since completing her contemporary dance education (2010) at the IWANSON International School of Contemporary Dance, Daria has been seen as a contemporary dancer in various dance productions both nationally and internationally.
In close collaboration with Anna Axmann and Marcos Bento, Daria regularly appears on stage as a founding member and dancer of the company Tanztheater Baden (Switzerland). Most recently, she was invited to the contemporary dance festival FENDAFOR (Brazil) in July 2019 as a jury member for dance competitions, dancer and dance teacher.
Daria works as a dance teacher at various schools and teaches various dance styles such as Contemporary Dance, Jazz Dance, Creative Children's Dance and Social Dance. Daria also works for Tanztheater Baden as a production manager and PR & communications manager.
Image: © Andrey_Zolotukhin
Sara Pennella
Dancer, dance teacher (contemporary and popping)
The Italian dancer Sara Pennella completed her dance studies at the Balletto di Toscana in Florence in 2009 and subsequently danced at the Compagnia Giovanile Junior Balletto di Toscana and the Compagnia Giovane Balletto Mediterraneo. From 2012 to 2014 she was a member of the Oniin Dance Company and toured worldwide. In the following years she worked as a freelance dancer with the Samady Dance Company, Artemis Danza and already in 2015 and 2019 for tanz&kunst königsfelden in "SIBIL.LA" and "IKARUS, flieg oder stirb" (IKARUS, fly or die). She has been a member of the Performing Arts Company NoGravity since 2018.
Between 2004 and 2006, Patrick Grigo was several times World and European Champion in Hip Hop and Breakdance (associations: ESDU, IDC, WCOPA), set his first world record for the Guinness Book of Records in 2007 and opened the Hannover Messe in 2009 as a soloist with a brilliant stage show in front of 2600 invited guests from politics and business. In his active time he performed on many big stages, fairs, galas and events such as the FIBO, the IFA or the BREAD & BUTTER in Berlin. He has danced and travelled in many countries, including London, Las Vegas, New York, Sydney, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Bangalore and Vienna. He presented fashion brands such as PUMA, Timezone, New Era or AND1 at major shows and as a testimonial.
In 2010, a picture of his world record attempt on the twall with the Russian Soyuz capsule was sent into space as part of an advertising campaign and circled the globe in the ISS for almost 6 months.
For several years now, his main focus has been on promoting young people. In his two dance schools and those of his partner companies, he therefore focuses everything on the intensive promotion of children and young people in the field of dance. As an ambassador for education and further training for the Chamber of Crafts or various education fairs, he advocates more education and awareness. At international dance festivals and workshop tours, he not only teaches hobby dancers and amateurs, but also professionals and above all dance and sports teachers with his specially developed pedagogy concept in urban dance.
Patrick Grigo was already involved with tanz&kunst königsfelden in the Arts Education Projects "leise brüllen" (2016) and "kopfüber" (2018).
Balint Dobozi / music composition
Bálint Dobozi
Musik-Komposition
Bálint Dobozi ist in der elektronischen Musik, Techno, House, Pop und Jazz zu Hause. Als Kind spielte er sehr viel Klavier. Heute arbeitet er als Komponist, Produzent sowie Performer elektronischer Musik und gibt Musikunterricht. Aktuell ist er Keyboarder und Musical Director bei Kalabrese & Rumpelorchester sowie Teil des elektronischen Live-Duos Pacifica. Als Komponist und Produzent kreiert er Musik für Film und Werbung.
Bálint Dobozi setzt sich seit über zehn Jahren mit dem Zusammenspiel sequencergesteuerter und live gespielter elektronischer Klangerzeuger auseinander. Er spielt meist auf einem Live-Setup aus Ableton Live, Plugin-Klängen, Keyboard-Controllern sowie analogen Synthesizern und Effekten. Dies verbindet das spontane Live-Moment des Tastenspiels mit im Studio ausgefeilten Arrangements und Klängen.
Image: © Tobias Stahel
In 2008 Camille Scherrer completed the écal (Ecole cantonale d'art de Lausanne) in visual communication, media and interaction design. Her diploma thesis was crowned with the "Best European Design Award" (Talent exhibition, Design huis, Eindhoven). Louis Vuitton was her first client. Her work has been exhibited and published internationally, at MoMA, N.Y., Siggraph Japan, San José California Biennale, at the Digital Art Festival in Seoul, etc.
In addition to her artistic activities, she teaches at the HEAD in Geneva. Camille Scherrer experiments at the interface of technology and art. Although the artist and designer uses digital media and technologies, her works are always related to the physical world and allow an analog experience. Instead of using complex technologies to create a technofuturistic world, Camille Scherrer invites us to dive into a poetic and nature-inspired world reminiscent of childhood memories.
Image: © V.Honegger
Ortreport
Architecture / scenography
Katrin Murbach, born 1984, studied scenographical design at the zurich university of the arts in switzerland and the estonian academy of arts in tallinn. she worked for the architecture collective «Raumlaborberlin» in Berlin and researched on the future of a village in the arctic for «droog design» in Amsterdam. working for «Spillmannechsle Architects» in Zurich, she realised projects with a focus on concept and atmosphere for the bag designers «freitag». in 2011 she founded «Ortreport» with fabian jaggi. together with the local community and lateral thinkers they find and touch the nerve of spatial situations. one of the recent projects took them to Johannesburg, where they investigated the modernist skyscrapers of the african metropolis. Katrin is currently teaching assistant at the f+f school for art and design.
Fabian Jaggi, born in Gstaad in 1982, moved to Zurich after completing his apprenticeship as a draughtsman. he graduated in 2009 from Zurich University of the Arts in scenographical design. he spent part of his studies in Paris, at the école boulle. after graduating he moved to berlin where he worked for the collective of architects «raumlaborberlin» for one year. in Switzerland he worked for «Jaggi & Partner Architects». in 2011 he founded «Ortreport» with katrin murbach. they are specialised on site-specific research, interventions and happenings in different environments. they collaborate with theaters and public institutions constructing temporary spaces in public sites. they co-designed the nomadic «House of Switzerland» which is travelling throughout europe. fabian is currently teaching assistant at the Zurich University of the Arts.
Image: © Goran Basic
David Simon & Vinzenz Leutenegger (DEZENTRUM)
Documentation
The Dezentrum develops positive future scenarios for the digital society of tomorrow. Ozan Polat is a partner of the Dezentrum and fascinated by autonomous digital entities and the interaction between man and machine.
David Simon
Interweaves technology, art, philosophy and design. David Simon is one of the founders of the design studio "Lucid" and took over the technical management until 2018 when he dedicated himself entirely to the decentre. At Dezentrum, he works on concept development and the implementation of innovative design and technology approaches. David is part of the Digital Council of the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). He teaches and gives public talks on design, technology and society.
Vinzenz Leutenegger
Is interested in the political that manifests itself in everyday life and how it can be shaped. Has a degree in Interaction Design from the Zurich University of the Arts. His thesis votetandem.org caused a sensation: It made the abstract political topic, the right to vote, concrete and tries to involve as many people as possible in the discussion. His focus offers opportunities to make complex topics accessible and tangible in order to provide food for thought for a fruitful vision of our future.
Karim Patwa
Image / film / audio
Karim Patwa has gained international recognition in particular for his film "Driften", which won three Max Ophüls Prizes in 2015 and the NDR Directing Prize as well as the price for best female leading role for Sabine Timoteo at the Swiss Film Prize in 2015.
Karim Patwa is a Swiss-British film director and screenwriter. Born 1968 in London, England. Swiss nationality. 1988-91 Freelance press photographer for the Bieler Tagblatt. 1992-96 HSLU (Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts), video department. 1996 Diploma HSLU as visual designer. Independent filmmaker since 1997. Since 2003 teaching activity at the universities ZHdK. Lives and works in Zurich.
His works have attracted attention because of their genuine artistic signature, their aesthetic originality and their fundamentally playful, imaginative, refreshingly innovative nature. The patwa-ic film language is expressed particularly clearly in his film "Karim Patwa's Spaceship"; here he plays a beautiful self-ironic game with his own origins with an autobiographical grounding of his material. Further works: "The chronomaniacs" and „Supersonic Airglow“. Other films are in development.