XAVIER ZUBER | CH 

He was born in Basel and, after his graduation in Frankfurt/Main, he worked as dramaturge for opera/dance/theatre with Herbert Wernicke, Joachim Schlömer, Jürgen Gosch, Tim Hopkins, Stanislas Nordey, Kazuko Watanabe, Lluis Pasqual, Nigel Lowery, Claudia Stavisky, Heinz Spoerli, James Sutherland and Calixto Bieito at various opera houses, theatres and for festivals; among them are the “Théâtre de la Monnaie” in Brussels, the “Théâtre National de la Colline”, the “Opéra de la Bastille” in Paris, the “Teatre Romea Barcelona”, the “Oper Frankfurt” as well as the Salzburg Easter Festival, the Salzburg Festival and the “Festival d’Aix-en-Provence”. 

Since 2001, he is co-operating closely with Calixto Bieito: „Don Giovanni“, „Trovatore“, „Wozzeck“ and „Jenufa“, „Holländer“ in the field of opera, as well as „Hamlet“ (Edinburgh Festival), „Die Dreigroschenoper“ (Threepenny Opera; Festival Grec Barcelona), „Lear“ (Festival Grec Barcelona) and “Peer Gynt” (Bergen Festival) in theatre productions testify to this. From 1998 to 2000, Zuber was employed at the “Theater Basel” as dramaturge and, in the same function, from 2001 to 2006 at the “Staatsoper Hannover” (state opera). It was there, that he founded the series “zeitoper” (opera of time) that is dedicated to experimental music theatre. From 1996 to 2005 he was visiting lecturer for the department of scenography at the “Staatlichen Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe” (state academy for design). In addition, he supports the “Junge Deutsche Philharmonie” (young German philharmonics) as consultant. Since 2006, Xavier Zuber is employed as first dramaturge at the “Staatsoper Stuttgart”

FRANK & PATRIK RIKLIN | CH
Atelier für Sonderaufgaben

The twin brothers Frank and Patrik Riklin were born and raised in St. Gallen. Following their qualification as draughtsmen for structural engineering and the preparatory class at the “Kunstgewerbeschule St. Gallen” (school for applied arts), they founded their «Atelier für Sonderaufgaben» (studio for special assignments) in 1999.

Frank Riklin subsequently studied visual arts at the “Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst Zürich” (academy for design and arts). Patrik Riklin studied fine arts at the “Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste Frankfurt am Main” (state-run academy of fine arts). Subsequently Patrik continued his studies at the Berlin University of the Arts reading visual culture studies and at the “Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste Frankfurt am Main” by studying interdisciplinary arts.

The fringe-art enterprise «Atelier für Sonderaufgaben» was founded with the objective of creating independent and uncompromising art and to embrace those special assignments that no one else really feels responsible for. Last year through their project «Zero Star Hotel» they gained an international reputation as conceptual artists. 


Statement
For us, scenography stands for translating contents into new realities with elementary means and thus uncovering unimagined possibilities and potentials. We also like to call it „ambulant architecture“.
    http://www.sonderaufgaben.ch   Photos: Atelier für Sonderaufgaben

JEAN-MICHEL QUESNE | FR 
Skertzò

Jean-Michel Quesne and Hélène Richard’s experience in Stage and Picture have led them outdoors thus offering new forms of creation.
True masters in the art of Illusion and « Trompe-l’œil », their shows transform sites and dramatize urban space.
Their aesthetic approach develops into original ways of telling stories without a script. In their search for new ways to use space, they constantly create news means of expression in their shows.
Both atypical and unconventional, their creations are always a unique and subtle mix of imagination, poetry and high technology.
Skerzò’s shows, performance, urban settings, scenography and exhibitions always address to special spectators; betting on the audience’s intelligence and emotional response by arousing curiosity, telling stories, surprising their eyes, sharing amazement and inspiring desire.


References excerpt

2002:
Lyon: Fête des Lumières, Place des terreaux : REFLECTIONS - Zône d’ombres
Paris: 4 original shows for Stade de France : the Grand Opening (1998), Celestial Opera Requiem of Verdi (2002) , The horses of the Stadium (2004) (equestrian Entertainment) , and Unighted(2008 & 2009)
2009: Rheinfeld : Rhein party light festival 
2008: Le Havre : Zootropic - City hall and Volcano House of the Culture 
2008: Chambord castle : Dreams of lights
2009: Arles city hall : Strange christmas
since 1998: Amiens cathedral : Cathedral in colours
2009: Rouen cathedral and Museum of fine arts  : The impressionist nights 
since 2004: Le Mans : The night of the Chimaera – City Plantagenet – 7 shows in the Médiéval City
2005: 
Tokyo: White shadows
Pierrefonds castle: Le bal des gisants (recumbent statues in gothic crypts)
2008: Jerusalem Tower of David : Or shalem
2010: And the most récent award : 2010 2nd of Lumiville for « La lune avec les dents/ Pau Castle
   
http://www.skertzo.com   Photos: Skertzò

ERLEND BLAKSTAD HAFFNER & HÅKON MATRE AASARØD | NO
Fantastic Norway 

Fantastic Norway AS is an architectural studio founded in 2004 by Erlend Blakstad Haffner and Håkon Matre Aasarød. The initial ambition was to create an open, including and socially aware architectural practice and to re-establish the architect as an active participant and a constructor of society.

The studio is currently engaged with architecture and installations as well as mobilisation processes, development strategies and lecturing. 

Our clients span from local communities to private investors and public institutions. We primarily work in the field of culture, tourism and commercial building. In addition to traditional commissions we initiate projects ourselves and organize the financial and political anchoring of them.
We believe places are stitched together by the stories and lives of people living there. Every client is different; every place is in some way peculiar. We aim to embrace this fact and through dialogue transform it into story telling architecture.

Fantastic Norway received the Oscar Hansen prize “Architects of the Year” in 2005 in Bergen / Norway and won the “FAD medal of honour” for “best international practice” in Barcelona/Spain in 2007. Fantastic Norway was further shortlisted for „best young practice“ Norsk Form / Norwegian Ministry of Culture. 
The office exhibited at the architectural biennale in Venice at the international pavilion in 2008 and in the nordic pavilion in 2010.   http://www.fantasticnorway.no

UWE J. REINHARDT | D

Following his professional educations in administration and journalism, Uwe J. Reinhardt worked in the features section of a daily newspaper. He studied empirical cultural studies and design, political sciences and German language and literature in Tübingen and Stuttgart, always with a special focus on design, graphic design and communication of cultural projects. Subsequently he worked as editor for a media project of the ARD (German TV), lectures design / text / conceptual design at the "Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart" (Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design), the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt as well as journalism at the University of Hohenheim. Furthermore, he was peer at the course of studies Visual Communications at the Berlin University of the Arts. 
Prof. Uwe J. Reinhardt is cultural scientist, journalist, exhibition organiser and professor specialised on conceptual design / creative writing. He directs the "edi – Exhibition Design Institute" at the “Fachhochschule Düsseldorf” (University of Applied Sciences), design department with a Master’s Degree programme.
In addition he works as research fellow and evaluator for the European Commission for transnational Projects in Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Austria, Rumania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain and Turkey. Further functions: Research Fellow at the IEIE e.V., external counsellor at the “Institut für Buchgestaltung und Medienentwicklung” (institute for book design and media development) at the "Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart" (Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design); design research projects of "labor visuell"; member of the EIS – European Initiative Scenography and of the Cairo Club.
In 2010 the book „ned02 – New Exhibition Design“ – edited in co-operation with Philipp Teufel – was published by the avedition Verlag Ludwigsburg („ned01“ published 2008). http://www.uwejreinhardt.de

NOMADIC SCENERY – ephemere scenography Of temporary architectures, selective performances, the ludic appeal of temporary scenographies, of bold designs and utilization-free ideas – in short the topicality of movement concepts. ‘The young and wild’ and ‘old hands’ alike report on new com- munication and creative methods.