05.07.2024
Walking Projects
In the performance concepts of walking the action is reduced to the act of walking. The approach towards a pure and concrete slow walking becomes the centre of attention. Walking is sufficient - at the interface between rooms, people and arts. ("Gehen im Schnittpunkt der Künste" - Walking at the centre of the arts 1997)
In a first major walking performance, 23 professionals and non-professionals accepted the challenge to stage 12 hours of presence in a precisely defined action scope, the Biel-Seeland region, and to approach pure slow motion walking.
(12 hours slow motion walking, 1997)
In the 12-month Performance 1998/1999 (Thomas Zollinger) walking was ritualised as one out of 12 core structures - as monthly laboratory production without particular public relation (12 x 3 hours walking).
At the 24-hour Ritual Theater "Der Stadtgänger" (The Citygoer) on the occasion of the 7th International Performance Conference in Glarus (1999) walking proceeded into a walking back and forth at an average hiking pace, which made the difference to the first 24-hour Ritual Theatre (Bern 1995, ca. 2 kmph).
The exposition concept "weiter gehen" (going further) Thomas Zollinger with guests, June/July 2000 in Biel) initiated a bunch of openly set up projects, thus a first series of 24 x 45 minutes walking (07/06-22/11/2006, always Wednesdays). A second series was realised in 2001 (19/04-27/09/2001, always Thursdays). To the exposition concept belonged the 40-minutes slow walking performance, one of the Ritual Theatre demo plays (02/07/2000).
The expedition.02 (16/07-20/08/2002, Strasbourg-Sion) followed a subtle structure with 24 accents of "hiking, walking, standing, dancing" with the "ultimate non-event alongside the expo02", an inconspicuous standing still for a "short while or a long while".
The expedition.02 was the last larger project in the context of Thomas Zollinger's art research initiated by the Ritual Theatre.
The Ritual Theatre (1993-1998), which culminated in the 12-hour walking performance (1997), lead into an existence concept in the 12-month Performance and the existential questions to Switzerland as a state in CH loves Art (1998-2001). With an interaction referring to Switzerland as a nation (expo.02), the expedition.02 was the winking conclusion of these preceding projects.
Nevertheless, the Walking Projects, initiated by the concept exposition, were carried on and developed or modified.
A third series of the 24 x 45 minutes walking came to an end at the beginning of 2004 (19/07/2003-09/01/2004, always Fridays). Documentation means of the individual walking in the Gewölbe Galerie (vault gallery) in Biel were sheets of blotting paper. They absorbed the dust and naked feet of the person who wandered along the walls.
A fourth series started with the performance "Magie des Gehens" (Magic of slow walking) on the Guisan square in Biel on 17/09/2007. It was announced in the context of the "weiter gegangen" (gone further) exposition with the presentation of the Walking Projects of the previous years (2000-2005) in the Gewölbe Galerie (Bieler photography days "on the road again").
In the fourth series of the 24 x 45 minutes walking (17/09/2005-25/02/2006, Saturdays) project guests also chose the further places for a slow walking (max. 1 meter per minute). All in all, 7 series of 24 x 45 minutes walking are planned; each is assigned to one day of the week.
In artistic regard, concrete forms of walking can not be avoided.