Embedded in the festive events for the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Japan CULTURESCAPES is set the focus on Tokyo with the twelfth edition of the festival in 2014.
The Moscow festival of 2012 when CULTURESCAPES provided a ‘matrix' of a city and its environs turned up some exciting discoveries, opening up new lines of inquiry into the city as a crucible of change, as a centre for avant-garde art and as the scene of a dynamic urban life that is more multicultural than any one country could ever be.
CULTURESCAPES 2014 is therefore to embark on another such experiment when it showcases the many different forms of artistic expression, the many different takes on history and the many traumas of the Japanese capital of Tokyo. We would like to introduce the cultural topography of a Japanese metropolis and put the questions that moves the society there now, in a context for the discourse in Switzerland.
While the roots of Japanese culture - Bunraku, Ikebana, the tea ceremony and Noh theatre - cannot be disregarded, the focus of the festival, as always, will be on contemporary art production. The Japanese Embassy in Switzerland is to support this venture.
About us
Rembert Biemond was born 1958 in the Netherlands. After completing a bachelor's degree in economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam and a masters in management and organisation at Groningen University, he was the manager of a college in his home country from 1983-1987. From 1987-1997 Rembert worked at the Goetheanum, Dornach, among other things as the executive director of the Goetheanum Bühne. In 1997 he started Biemond & Partners Basel, Agents & Consultants under the roof of which PASS, Performing Art ServiceS, the predecessor to CULTURESCAPES was founded. Rembert was managing partner at Unternehmen Mitte, Basel and from 2002-2009 CEO of Lehmann Natur, Mönchengladbach.
Since 2010, Rembert is living in Järna, Sweden with his wife and two children, where he is working as a cultural entrepreneur. At Kulturcentrum Järna he initiated a large-scale exhibition tetralogy under the title ‹See! Colour!›, which included vast light instalations by the american artist James Turrell.
He retains his ties to Switzerland as a board member of the Edith Maryon foundation, the Ackermannshof AG, the Evidenz foundation, as well as the Pro Denkbilder association and as co-founder and founding president of CULTURESCAPES.
Born 1950 in Basel, Dr. André Baltensberger holds a PhD in Musicology and Economics. He was principal at the Music Academy Basel as well as delegate for the music colleges in the directorate of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Northwestern Switzerland. Before this he had been working as business economist in the printing industry and later took up a post as a reserach assistant at the Paul Sacher-Foundation in Basel. For ten years he was the general secretary at the conference of the cantonal governments in Bern as well as director of the Swiss Foundation for Federal Collaboration in Solothurn.
The focus of his work, next to questions relating to federal government, are music of the 20th century, choruses, tropes and sequences in the High Middle Ages as well as the music history of the renaissance era. He obtained his PhD in 1987, his thesis focussing on the French-Grecian composer Iannis Xenakis. He also is a trained pianist, harpsichord player and vocalist. He is married, has one son and lives in Riehen near Basel.
Dipl. Ing. (Industrial Engineer)
Born in Dresden in 1943, Michael moved to Basel in1989 after previously living in Zürich and Berlin.
Michael graduated in Technology and Business Administration from the Technical University Berlin and subsequently worked as a director of studies and an assistant lecturer, as well as a consultant and a manager, initially at GDI Rüschlikon and then at the WWZ Forum of the University of Basel. He is currently course coordinator und director of an MBA programme at the University of Basel.
Born in Mannheim in 1975, Christian has lived in Switzerland since 2002. He studied Art History and History in Lausanne, Vienna, Lille and Heidelberg and has a PhD in Art History.
Curator for precious metal and ceramics of modern times at the Swiss National Museum as well as employee and program curator at Neues Kino Basel. President of Keramikfreunde der Schweiz and member of the Committee of Experts of the Jewish Museum of Switzerland. He previously worked at museums in Neuchâtel, Basel, Lausanne, Strasbourg, Vienna and Lille.
Publications on «L’argenterie Lausannoise» (2007), «Basler Goldschmiedekunst» (2013 und 2014) und «Prêt à porter. L'histoire du sac plastique et papier en Suisse» (2016).
Pius Knüsel, born 1957 in Cham, Switzerland, graduated from the University of Zurich in German Literature and Philosophy.
Working as a freelance journalist, he was a co-founder of a political-cultural weekly paper for Central Switzerland in 1981. He worked as the cultural editor at Swiss Television from 1985 until 1992 and as an independent music promoter. Pius was the founder, artistic and business director of the Moods Jazz Club in Zurich from 1992 until 1997, as well as a board member of the European Jazz Network.
From 1998 until 2002 Pius was the head of the department of cultural sponsoring of Credit Suisse (retail branch) and in 2002 was appointed director of Pro Helvetia, Swiss Arts Council. Since 2012 he is working in education for adults, teaching arts management and cultural policy at various universities in Switzerland and abroad.
Pius is also member of the boards of Mummenschanz Foundation, of Locarno Film Festival and of the Asociation of Swiss Adult Education Centres.
Born 1960 in Bern, Daniela Settelen-Trees has lived in Basel since 1989. After her studies of art history in Bern, Basel and Munich, worked as an art historian in museums, galeries and foundations.
Since 2008 she is the directior of the GGG Atelierhaus in Basel, among other mandates in cultural management, and has published several art books.
Born in the Netherlands in 1966. Founder and director of CULTURESCAPES.
He studied cultural management at the University of Basel. He has been the head of Performing Arts Services, a production agency, and has worked in collaboration with, amongst others, the Od-theater, Circle X Arts, Sankai Juku, Werkbühne Berlin and Goetheanum. Since founding CULTURESCAPES in 2003, he is a main driving force and inspiration for all the festival editions. He lectures on cultural management and networking. He is a member of the European Festivals Association (EFA).
Born 1976 in Khmelnytsky, Ukraine (then USSR). Kateryna is a curator, cultural critic, and writer with master degree in cultural studies. She was director of the Foundation Center for Contemporary Art in Kyiv, Ukraine, and a founder and editor-in-chief of Korydor, an online journal on contemporary culture.
She worked as a trainer and consultant for various programs within EU Eastern Partnership Culture Programme, dealing with cultural policy analysis, cultural industries and cultural journalism in the region. She consulted the EU National Institutes for Culture EUNIC on issues of global cultural relations and collaboration. Kateryna is a regular contributor to various media.
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Why did you want to work with CULTURESCAPES?
I joined the team as a curator of exhibitions in 2014. But soon I realized that as a festival, CULTURESCAPES provides a unique platform for combining many things I always valued about my work in the cultural field: multidisciplinary approach, research into local cultural landscapes of global reach and importance, and connecting a variety of artistic voices with diverse audiences. Over the years, we developed CULTURESCAPES into a platform for empowerment and awareness regarding the rising topical issues of our times. I am happy to see CULTURESCAPES as a growing space of care and mutual learning between different and distant societies and cultures with a common goal – imagining a better and more sustainable future.
What do you particularly like about CULTURESCAPES 2021 Amazonia?
As outsiders, we are easily overwhelmed by images of powerful rivers connecting the continent from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, or the endless green masses of the rainforest. Shocking news of wildfires, or, more recently, COVID-casualties, also catch attention. With CULTURESCAPES 2021 Amazonia we want to enable voices of artists, activists, writers and researchers from different parts of the region, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to tell stories of Amazonia as a realm of the fight for environmental protection, for human and cultural rights, as an interconnected space of different kinds of knowledge and visions of human and non-human cohabitation. These stories and knowledges are of utter importance to everyone today, regardless of who we are or where we live.
Born in 1985 near Zurich. She joined CULTURESCAPES in 2014.
She graduated in Japanese studies and Theatre studies from Zurich and Berne University; she spent one year studying in Kyoto, Japan.
She has contributed to various opera projects and has done research in the field of cultural identity and performative arts.
Born in Zurich in 1986. Sarah started working for CULTURESCAPES in 2013.
She first studied History, Film Studies and English at the University of Zurich. Whilst living in Ireland from 2010 - 2013, she completed a MA in Cultural Policy and Arts Management at University College Dublin.
Before and during her studies Sarah interned and worked for a number of arts organisations in Dublin, such as Dublin City Archives, the Chester Beatty Library and the National Museum of Ireland.
From 2012 - 2013 she completed a traineeship with National Museums Northern Ireland, working in the curatorial department of the Ulster Museum, Belfast.
Born in Zurich in 1982. Sarah joined CULTURESCAPES in 2014.
She had studied Slavic studies and Theater studies in Zurich and Berne before travelling Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Sarah worked as a freelancer for several newspapers. She was the founder of a literary café in Berne and organized literary events from 2012 to 2014.
Born in Mainz (Germany) in 1979. Benita has been working for CULTURESCAPES in Basel since 2012.
She studied Cultural Studies, Aesthetics and Applied Arts in the specialist subjects music, visual arts, cultural management and education at the University of Hildesheim in Germany.
Before and during her studies Benita was musically active as an accompanist und chamber musician. Her artistic activities include painting and prints.
She has worked seasonally for various festivals since 2004: From 2008 - 2009 in the management team of the des NDR choir; from 2009 - 2010 in the management team of the Choir Academy of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festivals; and from March 2010 and June 2012 at the Artistic Operations Office and for "Music Festivals in the Countryside" as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.
Born in Schopfheim (Germany) in 1976. Alexa joined CULTURESCAPES in 2012.
She studied International Culture Management in Freiburg before travelling through South America and Asia.
Alexa was responsible for communication and events at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein from 2000 to 2009. She subsequently worked as a PR specialist at the Burghof Lörrach and for the STIMMEN-Festival. Since 2014 she is the co-director of KlangBasel music festival.
Born in Basel in 1965. Works for CULTURESCAPES since 2008.
Thomas worked at Kaserne Basel until 2001 before becoming a self-employed light and sound technician for various companies, such as Biennale Bern, Anna Huber Company, Christoph Marthaler, and was the technical director of the Music Festival Bern.
