Symposium on the SNF project Aesthetics of the Im/Mobile: A Review 

From disabled and multiple marginalised perspective, the symposium questioned structural transformation in relation to care, inclusion and sustainability existing in performing arts. Organised by the team of the SNF project Aesthetics of the Im/Mobile and  in collaboration with Swiss Association for Theater Research, funded by Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences and Swiss National Science Foundation. It took place at the Bern Academy of Arts. 
 
The research project began with the question of how dance and theatre performances travel and what alternative practices exist. Hereby the focus was on the perspective of disabled artists. Practical solutions were sought to enable circulation more easily and sustainably, both on a social and technological level. The symposium took up the insights gained and expanded them to include perspectives on the concrete working practices and formats of disabled and chronically ill artists. Inputs, panel discussions, workshops, and installations provided the framework for bringing marginalized perspectives to the forefront and jointly exploring new paths toward accessibility, participation, inclusion, and accessibility.

After the opening with an exciting lecture performance by Anouk Hoogendoorn and Yvonne Schmidt on “The Im/mobile Practice of a Conversation”, topics such as “Micropolitics of Care”, “Structural Transformation” and “Cripping Institutions” were discussed with local and international speakers from the perspectives of artists and curators. The exhibition was complemented by an installation curated by Barbara Schmid and Silvan Müller, which took up the two decentralized letter festivals “aua comes your way” (2020) and “aua in a Box” (2021) of the auawirleben Theatre Festival Bern, as well as the installation “Molecular Translations” (2025) by Kamran Behrouz. Visitors were also invited to take part in one of the three workshops “Glitchy Adjustments” (Tanja Erhart and Flor Méchain), “Collective Singularities” (Alessandro Schiattarella and Victoria Antonova) and “Cartographies of Care: Mapping Micropolitics of Care” (Kamran Behrouz and Thubten Shontshang). 
 
The symposium itself aimed to be as accessible as possible: talks and discussions were translated into Swiss German sign language and there were various seating options, generous breaks, as well as a live broadcast on Zoom.