Graphic

The Zürcher Theater Spektakel is one of the most important festivals for contemporary performing arts in Europe. For the eighth consecutive year, Studio Marcus Kraft is responsible for the visual campaign this time inspired by the opening production Qui Som?.

This year’s campaign for the popular festival was developed together with the French-Catalan company Baro devel. In their production Qui Som?, they work with clay and the transformation of simple clay pots into hats, heads and faces, among other things. For the visual realisation, the mouldable clay heads used in the piece were further developed into original motifs and staged photographically. The resulting images lend the campaign a strong visual language creative, contemporary and witty. Sophisticated stop-motion sequences were created for the moving image media, in which the clay heads seem to deform plastically by themselves.

The poetic imagery of Baro devel fits perfectly with our festival, which has always sought to explore the boundaries between theatre, dance, music, circus and visual arts. The campaign brings this magic to life in the urban space, explains Matthias von Hartz, Artistic Director of the festival.

Art Director Marcus Kraft adds: Clay is archaic and human at the same time. By moulding the pots into living masks, we tell of identity and transformation, of the search for oneself exactly the themes that the piece Qui Som? also addresses. The stop-motion technique emphasises the handcrafted character and has a hypnotic effect at the same time.

The visuals are used across different media: there are classic posters, the programme newspaper, city screens, advertising in trams and various cinema trailers. The images with the clay heads will also be prominently displayed on the festival site on the Landiwiese, while loop videos on social media channels show the deformation of the masks.

The 46th edition of the Zürcher Theater Spektakel 2025 will take place from 14 to 31 August 2025 on the Landiwiese in Zurich. Over 60 productions from all over the world and over 100,000 visitors are expected. In addition to the opening piece Qui Som? by Baro d’evel, the highlights of this year’s edition include the piece Faustus in Africa! by William Kentridge & Handspring Puppet Company, as well as a concert by musician Laurie Anderson. This year’s Theater Spektakel is also dedicating a focus to the multi-faceted work of the Rwandan-British choreographer and musician Dorothee Munyaneza.