zürcher theater spektakel 2023
with well over 100’000 visitors, this cultural event in zurich is one of the most important festivals of contemporary performing arts in europe.
for the sixth time, studio marcus kraft was responsible for the visual communication — this year the core elements of the campaign are plaster objects from belgian choreographer miet warlop’s internationally praised opening piece ‹one song›. each of the hand-cast plaster panels features a word in relief.
the plaster objects are visible in all media, both individually and in various combinations. although there are only 15 words, new combinations constantly create different and surprising content statements. further variations are created through the use of broken plasterboard.
as a special bonus, the original plaster objects from the campaign were prominently displayed at the main entrance throughout the duration of the festival. the soundtrack of the cinema trailer comes from the studio recordings for the upcoming ‹one song› album.
the human character of the festival is empasized by the handcrafted appearance of the plasterboards. through the constantly recombined words, reference is also made to the spirit of dadaism, which has its origins in zurich.
(sound on)
(sound on)
project details
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with more than 100,000 visitors, zürcher theater spektakel is one of europe’s leading festivals for contemporary performing arts. in 2023, studio marcus kraft was responsible for the festival’s visual communication for the sixth time.
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the campaign takes its starting point from belgian choreographer miet warlop’s internationally acclaimed opening production, one song. hand-cast plaster objects, each featuring a word in relief, became the central visual element of the campaign.
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the handcrafted plaster panels bring a tangible, human quality to the festival’s visual identity. fifteen individual words can be recombined into ever-changing statements, creating unexpected meanings and visual variations. broken plasterboard adds another layer of texture, while the constantly shifting combinations reference the spirit of dadaism, which originated in zurich.
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the plaster objects were used across the festival’s communication, appearing individually and in different combinations across print and digital media. the original objects were also displayed at the festival’s main entrance. the cinema trailer featured a soundtrack drawn from studio recordings for the upcoming one song album.
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a flexible campaign system that connects contemporary performance, handcrafted material and playful language. by transforming a limited set of words into an evolving series of visual statements, the campaign reflects the experimental character of the festival and its connection to zurich’s dadaist heritage.
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client: zürcher theater spektakel
year: 2023
project: festival campaign and visual communication
services: campaign concept, art direction, graphic design, visual communication, animation and motion design -
responsible for concept, art direction, design & animation: studio marcus kraft; miet warlop (artwork), michel fries (layout), highfive (web development)
zürcher theater spektakel: sarah wendle, veit kälin, matthias von hartz (co-direction), intr ag – remo bitzi & linus rast (head of communication); cynthia domfe (marketing & head of campaign), josefine stähli (head of artistic administration)